Artwork
Adolph Menzel Wearing a Top Hat
Adolph Menzel Wearing a Top Hat is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Karl Stauffer-Bern. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
The rough, scratchy style suggests the artist used etching or drypoint—techniques that let ink fill the lines for a gritty look.
This is a black-and-white portrait of a man in a top hat and fur collar. His face is serious, with a thick beard and deep lines around his eyes. The artist used quick, sketchy lines to show his wrinkles and the texture of his clothes.
The signature in the corner says it was made in 1885 by Karl Stauffer-Bern. The rough, scratchy style suggests the artist used etching or drypoint—techniques that let ink fill the lines for a gritty look.
Next, check out etching to see how artists like this create texture with metal plates.
Overview
Adolph Menzel Wearing a Top Hat is an 1885 etching with drypoint on chine collé by Karl Stauffer-Bern, portraying the renowned German artist Adolph Menzel in a formal, contemplative manner.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, Adolph Menzel, was celebrated for his meticulous depictions of 19th-century life through drawing and etching. This portrait captures him in a top hat and fur collar, conveying an air of seriousness and intellectual depth through his bearded face and deeply lined eyes.
Technique & Style
Executed in etching with drypoint on chine collé, the work features quick, expressive lines that vividly render the textures of Menzel's attire and the topography of his face. The technique's inherent grittiness, achieved by ink filling etched lines, enhances the portrait's somber, introspective quality.
History & Provenance
Created around 1885 by Swiss artist Karl Stauffer-Bern, who had studied under Karl Gussow in Berlin before relocating to Italy, where he passed away in 1891. The piece is signed and dated (1885) by the artist.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Karl Stauffer, known as Karl Stauffer-Bern (2 September 1857, Trubschachen – 24 January 1891, Florence) was a Swiss painter, etcher and sculptor.
