About the Work
During the summer 1841 and on his journey along the Rhine, Ludwig Metz drew with a fine, hard pencil, sometimes also with the pen in brown. The architectures ‒ some of which are reproduced precisely, from almost only sacred buildings, often set in the surrounding landscape, as well as ornaments and architectural details ‒ show a nearly documental verisimilitude. They bear witness to the specific architectural interest of the student architect, who, at the age of 19, visited Kiedrich, Scharfenberg, Bacharach, Oberweser, Glees, Andernach, Sinzig, Bonn, Cologne and Drachenfels from July to August. Metz used the sketchbook primarily to study the various sacred buildings, which gained new appreciation during the Rhine Romanticism and which Metz mostly depicted with interior and exterior views. As is common for architectural plans, Metz later occasionally washed the drawings with a brush or coloured parts, especially the ground plans and cuts, in red or brown.
For a full sketchbook description, please see “Research”.
