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The sitter of this triple study, unlike the majority of people depicted in Menzel’s sketchbooks, was certainly aware that his portrait was being made. Nevertheless, he continues to look out upon an occurrence unkown to us, perhaps at the command of the artist, who appears to have been interested primarily in capturing the striking profile from all sides.
Unfortunately, this well-off man with his nickel-plated spectacles has yet to be identified. However, he is likely a Berliner, as, with the exception of a summer trip to Regensburg and the Mondsee (moon lake) in the Salzkammergut (Austria), Adolph von Menzel spent the year 1877 in his native city.