This painting was created in the year that Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, and the forging of a sword can here be seen as preparation for war by the descendants of the Nibelungs, an ancient people who, according to tradition, lived in the lands of what is now the city of Worms, on the left bank of the Rhine. A legend attached to the Nibelungs tells how they possessed incalculable wealth in gold and weapons.
«Виртуальный Русский музей» в социальных сетях: