From the top of a hill, a young horseman looks back into a valley harbouring the shadowy silhouette of a town. The painting captures the mood of an early morning departure on a journey into the unknown and recalls some lines from Ludwig Tieck¿s poem `Die wundersame Liebesgeschichte der schönen Magelone und des Grafen Peter von Provence¿ (The Wondrous Love Story of the Beautiful Magelone and Count Peter of Provence): `Keinen hat es noch gereut / Der das Roß bestiegen, / Um in frischer Jugendzeit / Durch die Welt zu fliegen¿ (No one has ever regretted mounting their horse to fly through the world in the freshness of youth).