Der Rabe

Der Rabe (The Raven, 1845) at the Bavarian State Painting Collections is one of Spitzweg's most evocative animal-with-figure subjects, likely depicting a solitary individual (hermit, scholar, or eccentric) in the company of a raven — a bird carrying rich symbolic associations from Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 poem (published the same year) to Norse mythology and Christian iconography. Whether Spitzweg knew Poe's poem — published in American magazines and rapidly spreading through European literary culture — is uncertain, but the convergence is striking. The raven is traditionally a bird of dark omen, prophecy, and intelligence, making it the perfect companion for a Spitzweg hermit or philosopher. The 1845 date places this in his early mature period.

The raven's glossy black plumage presents an acute technical challenge: black is not simply the absence of colour but a surface that reflects all wavelengths at once, creating complex iridescent highlights in direct light. Spitzweg renders this through a deep black base with carefully placed blue-green or grey-white reflective highlights. The bird's eye is typically the sharpest point of detail.