Portrait of Johann Gebhard Rabener

Portrait of Johann Gebhard Rabener

Johann Gebhard Rabener (1632-1701) was a lawyer by profession. From 1666, he served as a judge of the Court in the Court of Western Pomerania and the Duchy of Kamieński. He was also a councillor at the court of the Elector of Brandenburg in Berlin. However, Rabener is best known for his passion for science. He was particularly interested in astronomy and corresponded for many years with the famous Danzig scientist John Hevelius (1611-1687), as well as another prominent astronomer, Gottfried Kirch (1639-1710). Together with Daniel Ernest Jablonski (1660-1741) and Johann Jakob Chuno (1661-1715), he made efforts to build an astronomical observatory in Berlin. He was also one of the founding members of the ElectoralBrandenburg Scientific Society (Kurfürstlich Brandenburgische Sozietät der Wissenschaften – later the Prussian Academy of Sciences) and became a full member in 1700, shortly before his death.

The portrait on display was part of the Rabener family epitaph in Kamień Pomorski Cathedral. It was originally located on the east wall of the north transept, but after the cathedral was renovated in 1848, it was demolished, retaining only the portraits and wooden figures. The epitaph was probably staged in connection with the death of Rabener's first wife, Catharina, in the mid-1680s. In addition to the portraits of the couple, the epitaph also included three smaller portraits of their sons, two of which are preserved in the collection of the Szczecin museum (MNS/Rz/1015, MNS/Rz/1016).

The nature of the image is reminiscent of the aristocratic portrait formula developed by Anthon van Dyck (1599-1641), which had a major influence on Dutch portrait painting and, through it, on the Gdansk milieu to which the painting on display is linked.

Monika Frankowska-Makała