Getty Museum

Siegfried Battles with the Gatekeeper as Alberich Approaches

Date

1865

Medium

Black ink and graphite, on buff-colored paper

Culture

German

Department

Drawings

Institution

Getty Museum

This design was made in preparation for an illustration of the *Nibelungenlied* (Song of the Nibelungs), a medieval epic poem that gained prominence in the mid-1800s with the rise of German nationalism. Siegfried, a legendary, dragon-slaying hero, has reached the land of the Nibelungs by boat, visible at the base of the cliff. Here he is shown fighting his way into a fortress, where he will seize a treasure. Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld's composition frames the text field on two sides and cleverly allows the narrative to unfold in time and space.

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