Falls of the Rhine at Schaffhausen (Rheinfall von Schaffhausen)

Menzel was one of the most celebrated and prolific painters in Germany during the 19th century. A meticulous draftsman, he executed detailed drawings in preparation for each of his paintings. Thousands of the artist’s notebook studies have survived. Many of them were studies of heads, half-figures, and landscape vignettes to be incorporated into his paintings. This sheet depicting a waterfall and bridge shrouded in mist is an example of one of Menzel’s exquisite graphite studies.