In developing their children’s cultural sensibilities, Abraham and Leah Mendelssohn Bartholdy emphasised the role of the visual arts. The parents not only instilled in their offspring an appreciation for all schools of European painting, they also encouraged engagement with living practitioners – visiting galleries, exhibitions, and studios. For Fanny, an important outcome of this exposure was her marriage to a professional artist, one whose artistic strengths proved well suited to embellishing manuscripts of his wife’s songs. For Felix, who also married an (amateur) painter, early recognition of his talent for drawing resulted in a lifelong preoccupation, one that at times took precedence over musical activities. His practice of drawing, especially landscapes observed from life, offered respite from the demands of professional life and opportunities for sensing achievement that otherwise often proved elusive. More importantly, artistic practice informed his musical pursuits by suggesting topics, materials and perspectives that helped shape compositional principles.