The victory 

Victor Müller made this sketch called "The Victory" using graphite on paper. The sketch depicts classical figures and putti amidst swirling clouds. This piece, made in Germany during the 19th century, draws from a rich vein of classical and Renaissance imagery. The idealization of the human form, the allegorical themes, and the very medium of drawing connect Müller to a lineage of academic art. The Städel Museum itself, founded in 1815, reflects the rise of public art institutions intended to educate and uplift the populace through exposure to such traditions. But the sketch also diverges; it’s unfinished and unresolved. Understanding this work fully requires us to look at the institutional framework in which it was produced, and how Müller either embraced or challenged the prevailing artistic norms. By consulting exhibition records, artist biographies, and cultural histories, we can begin to understand the conversation this sketch was having with its own time.