Manfred on the Jungfrau

Ford Madox Brown painted Manfred on the Jungfrau in 1840-1842, depicting the scene from Byron's dramatic poem where the tormented Manfred contemplates suicide on an Alpine precipice. Brown, who had studied in Belgium and Paris, brought a Continental sensibility to British painting. Though never officially a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, he became one of their most important associates and influences.

Brown's careful rendering of the Alpine landscape and the dramatic pose of Manfred on the precipice demonstrate his thorough Continental training. The painting's precise detail and emotional intensity anticipate the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic he would help shape.