Adolph Von Menzel

Adolph Menzel was a German artist famous for drawings, etchings, and paintings. Beside with Caspar Friedrich, Menzel is regarded one of the two most important German artists of the 19th century, and was the most successful artist of his time in Germany. His popularity in his native country was such that few of his major paintings left Germany, as many were quickly acquired by museums in Berlin. : Edgar Degas admired and copied his work, calling him "the greatest living master". In Germany Menzel received many honors, and in 1898 became the first painter to be admitted to the Order of the Black Eagle; by virtue of receiving the Order, Menzel was raised to the nobility, becoming "Adolph von Menzel". He was also made a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Royal Academy in London. Menzel's graphic works and drawings were more widely distributed; these, along with informal paintings not initially intended for display, have largely accounted for his posthumous reputation.