Kniender, vor sich herab schauender Mann (Narziss_), die Hände breit aufgestützt 

Victor Müller made this pencil drawing of a kneeling man, titled “Narcissus,” at an unknown date. Its subject matter connects it to a broader European fascination with classical mythology, which served as a means of both critiquing and upholding social mores. The tale of Narcissus is that of an individual so enamored with his own beauty that he is incapable of truly seeing anyone else. Müller’s sketch, which can be found in the Städel Museum, may well be a preliminary study for a larger painting on this theme. Such artworks served a public role, encouraging reflection on personal vanity and its potential consequences for society at large. In the German-speaking countries where Müller spent his career, from the 1830s to the 1870s, there were many institutional structures, such as the art academy in Düsseldorf, that helped determine which artistic styles and subjects were valued, and which were not. To truly understand this drawing, we would need to research Müller’s career, the academic structures of the time, and the contemporary reception of mythological subjects. This would help us place his “Narcissus” in its proper social and institutional context.