"Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Graefle studied in Munich with two artists of the ‘Nazarene movement’, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872) and Peter von Cornelius (1784-1867). He was a close associate of Franz Xaver Winterhalter and was sometimes employed by the royal family as a worthy and more tractable substitute." (Royal Collection Trust)