He received several members of a delegation of Moroccan dignitaries who were visiting the German capital and wanted to be portrayed by the famous artist.
Menzel completed at least three pencil drawings of his exotic visitors. Two belong to the Kupferstichkabinett, the Museum of Prints and Drawings in Berlin; the third came up for sale at Lempertz (26/20% buyer’s premium) at the sale in Berlin on April 20 with an estimate of €6000-8000.
What made the 13 x 8in (32 x 20cm) drawing Portrait Study of a Moroccan so special was a spontaneous addition and an inscription, documenting a dramatic event that had just taken place not far from Menzel’s studio.
While the German emperor Wilhelm I was driving through the city in an open carriage, he was – not for the first time – shot at by a would-be assassin who fired at him with a double-barrelled shotgun. The Kaiser was badly, but not fatally wounded.
Soon after the failed attempt, a lieutenant general, a close acquaintance of Menzel, rushed to his studio and informed him of what had happened. Menzel hurriedly sketched a portrait of the emperor on the edge of the drawing he was working on and added an inscription describing how it come to be drawn “on the day of the second assassination attempt on the emperor…”.
The historic importance of the drawing obviously inspired the bidders: the international collector with the deepest pockets had to bid €160,000 (£136,750) before the opposition called it a day.
