Johann Joachim Winckelmann, son of a master shoemaker, a tireless autodidact and the founder of classical archaeology and modern art sciences, is seen as an example of how an ordinary citizen could overcome all the barriers associated with his humble origins through luck and intellect. His literary art descriptions and his main work "The History of Art in Antiquity (1764)" revolutionized art reception and influenced not only aesthetics and art criticism but also literature across Europe. The author Klaus-Werner Haupt successfully presents Winckelmann's combative vitality and the poetic imagery of his language against the backdrop of his biography and scientific achievements in an educational and entertaining manner for a broad audience.