Abstract: The small collection of engraved gems selected by Dutch philosopher and connoisseur Frans Hemsterhuis was, for more than thirty years, a source of fascination for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This article examines the aesthetic principles on which Hemsterhuis based the formation of his collection and traces the collection's reception and influence on Goethe. Motifs illustrating the classical ideal, be they of Greek or modern origin, were the primary justification for inclusion, with authenticity playing a subsidiary role in the collection. Hemsterhuis's appreciation of the Greek ideal was based purely on stylistic characteristics, formal components dependent entirely on observation. Analysis of the dating attributions for this collection since its formation demonstrate claims of authenticity based on connoisseurship to be permanently in a state of flux. The collection also informs aspects of Goethe's own principles of classification.

Keywords: engraved gems, aesthete, classical ideal, eighteenth-century replica, connoisseurship.

GOETHE, THE COLLECTOR, and Goethe, the “universal man” of his time— these two facets of Goethe's identity are intrinsically linked; his collections played a decisive role in his scientific achievements and in molding his aesthetic sensibility. The range of Goethe's collections reflect his interests in both the natural and physical worlds—with a black-figured Greek vase being just as much an object of curiosity as a block of feldspar. The development of Goethe's collections was dependent upon his keen observational skills, trained through learning to draw. In a conversation with Chancellor von Müller towards the end of his life, Goethe recalls: “Meine eignen Versuche im Zeichnen haben mir doch den grosen Vortheil gebracht, die Naturgegenstände schärfer aufzufassen; ich kann mir ihre verschiednen Formen jeden Augenblick mit Bestimmtheit zurückrufen” (My own attempts at drawing have given me the particular advantage that I am able to observe natural objects in a more penetrating way; I can recall, at any moment, their varying forms with absolute certainty). Goethe interpreted and recorded any object of interest to him, capturing the image on paper either as a simple sketch or as an outline drawing. These accurate observations were the records he made to grasp the form of an object, its external structure or morphology, slight variations in appearance indicating a close relationship between two objects. Goethe went on to develop a system of classification for each of his collections. Since every additional item was placed in the hierarchy based on its similarity or difference in form, the larger the collection, the more accurate its classification system.