Adolph von Menzel

Born in Breslau in 1815, he took over his father's lithography workshop in Berlin. Self-taught, he grew to become a leading 19th-century German painter.¹

He became famous for creating over 400 illustrations for Kugler's 'History of Frederick the Great,' characterized by meticulous detail based on historical research.¹

As seen in 'The Balcony Room,' his style of capturing the flickering of light and air is highly regarded as an innovative precursor to French Impressionism.¹

In his masterpiece 'The Iron Rolling Mill,' he depicted the harsh labor conditions of a modernizing industrial society with overwhelming realism, shocking society.¹

In his later years, he moved away from oil painting to focus on drawings using pencil and gouache, leaving behind vast studies of daily life and body parts.¹

Serving as a court painter for the Prussian monarchy, he was the first painter to receive the Order of the Black Eagle in 1898, granting him nobility.¹