Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716)

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is considered a mastermind of the Enlightenment and a polymath. After graduating in law in 1667, he began his career as a princely counsellor in Mainz and later became a diplomat in Paris. Leibniz embarked on several research trips and contributed to various scientific disciplines, such as mathematics, history and theology. He also published numerous philosophical works and made a name for himself as an inventor –for example of the "Leibniz Calculator".

Christoph Bernhard Francke (1665–1729), Bildnis des Philosophen Gottfried Wilhelm Freiherr von Leibniz, oil on canvas, 81 cm x 66 cm, ca. 1695; source: Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum Braunschweig, https://3landesmuseen-braunschweig.de/herzog-anton-ulrich-museum/sammlung/abteilungen/gemaeldesammlung-alte-meister, public domain.