Johann Sebastian Bach is credited with writing over 300 cantatas. Sacred cantatas comprise most of that repertory, but there are just under forty known secular cantatas composed by Bach. About half of these secular cantatas were written to celebrate a person’s birthday. This thesis will attempt to provide a view of the life of the historical figures for which the birthday cantatas were written, reflections of the personality of the individual in the cantata, Bach’s relationship to the recipient, and political or social connotations associated with the work. From a study of the individuals connected with the musical work, a more thorough understanding of the time period in which Bach lived and worked may be gained. This in turn will provide a more complete understanding of Bach’s birthday cantatas. This thesis will not address recipients of name day cantatas nor will it address recipients of birthday cantatas that were not fully preserved. These are the historical figures and works that will be examined: Duke Christian of Saxe-Weißenfels, including references to Dukes Wilhelm Ernst and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar, Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208; Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a; Crown Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen, BWV 213; Maria Joseph, Archduchess of Austria, Electress of Saxony, Queen of Poland, Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten, BWV 214; and Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, King of Poland Schleicht, spielende Wellen, BWV 206.

This master thesis examines miniature copies of large-scale paintings as a means of demonstrating knowledge, taste and power at the Saxon court during the reign of Augustus III. In two steps it sheds light on the processes behind the making and collecting of a type of miniature painting that has otherwise been disregarded by art historical research. With the help of five case studies from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden and a theoretical approach rooted in materiality and contextual studies, it draws the attention of miniature research to the fact that miniature copies were not simple reproductions but the complex results of a multifaceted and prestigious production process. The study thus contributes to a broadened understanding of copies in miniature as valued art objects on their behalf as well as to position them in the larger framework of the 18th century's desire for art, connoisseurship and collecting.