Rethel, Alfred (1816-1859)

German painter and graphic artist. Among his outstanding works are powerful and macabre versions of the traditional dance of death theme 1848 that had an appreciable influence on English illustration of the 1860s.

Rethel was born in Diepenbend, near Aachen. He studied at the Academy of Düsseldorf and was only 25 when he was commissioned to paint frescoes on the life of Charlemagne for the Aachen town hall 1844-52. He also produced two series of designs of Hannibal's Passage over the Alps, engraved on wood.