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Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher
Hand-painted oil reproduction from $181 31 × 33 cm
Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher (1785) is the most famous painting by Henrik Plötz, held by the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Portrait of Prince Willem George Frederik (1795) and Portrait of a woman (1800) are the next two works the world knows best. From the 4 works of Henrik Plötz in our catalogue, here are the 4 that collectors and museum visitors look at most, with the year, the museum and the story of each.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated November 2026. Every masterpiece on this page can be ordered as a museum-quality, hand-painted oil reproduction or a fine art print, at the size you choose.
The 2 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Henrik Plötz | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 2 | Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher, King Khristian VII of Denmark and Norway |
 Rijksmuseum |
Amsterdam | 2 | Portrait of Prince Willem George Frederik, Portrait of a woman |
Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher (1785), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Next come Portrait of Prince Willem George Frederik (1795) and Portrait of a woman (1800).
38 years old: Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher dates from 1785 and Henrik Plötz was born in 1747.
Our catalogue lists 4 works by Henrik Plötz, dated from 1785 to 1800.
Most of them are in Nationalmuseum (Stockholm) and Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). The table above lists the museums one by one.
The earliest on this page is Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher (1785), the latest Portrait of a woman (1800).
Charles Bonnet, Swizz Naturalist and Philosopher and King Khristian VII of Denmark and Norway are among the 2 works on this page held by the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered as a museum-quality, hand-painted oil reproduction or a fine art print, in the size you choose, from the painting's own page.
Henrik Plötz was a multifaceted German artist and inventor born in Pinneberg. His diverse talents spanned several disciplines, as he was a painter, flautist, and miniaturist. His early life was marked by significant transitions; after losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by the Danish General Caesar Lüttichau, who ensured he received flute lessons in Fredericia. By 1768, he secured a position in the Royal Chapel in Copenhagen. However, his musical career was altered after a journey to Switzerland, where an illness prevented him from playing the flute further.
Following this, Plötz turned his focus toward visual arts and mechanics. He studied under an enamel painter and later with the mechanician P. J. Droz. His intellectual pursuits led him to Genthod, where he worked with the naturalist Charles Bonnet, creating plates of insects and plants and assisting with botanical and mechanical experiments.
Plötz was a man of profound technical curiosity, known for inventing precision instruments. He developed a physionotrace and a pantograph to create profile portraits with mechanical accuracy. His inventive spirit continued in Naples and later in Berlin, where he shared an atelier with Christian Hornemann. In 1799, he moved to Copenhagen to serve as a court mechanician under Christian Günther von Bernstorff. During his time in Copenhagen, he invented various devices, including a stamping machine designed to produce non-copyable banknotes.
His artistic output was notable for its dedication to the European tradition of miniature painting. His legacy also extended through his family, as his son, Carl Ludwig, followed in his footsteps as a miniature painter.