About the Work
The drawings in this small sketchbook are only partly dated and mostly barely legible; the dates span the years 1868 (August/September), 1870 (June), 1883 and 1884 (February) ‒ not always in chronological order and even the decipherable topographical details are somewhat disparate. The journey in spring 1868 seems to have led Metz along the river Lahn further into Alsace (?). In June 1870, he drew at Lake Geneva and in Italy, among other places in Rome, near Ariccia and on Monte Mario, and, in February 1884, apparently again in Italy. Except for a sky subtly coloured with blue pencil, all drawings are made with pencil and mostly in landscape format, mainly sketched out quickly.
He depicted mainly full-page views of the landscape, with a striking, often dilapidated building or village in the centre, and very often depictions of fountains, and occasionally aqueducts and dams. In view of this motif, which remained the same over the course of several journeys, one might think that Metz structured his sketchbooks thematically, at least occasionally, and in this case focused on buildings connected with the provision and regulation of water.
For a full sketchbook description, please see “Research”.
