ABSTRACT Professor of paleontology at the University of Basel, Switzerland, Manfred Reichel was as much an accomplished scientist as a talented artist. Skilled in mental 3-D-visualization, aided by a sharp memory, and with a fine hand for illustration, he introduced comparative anatomy to the study of foraminifera, which is masterly illustrated in his analysis of Alveolinids, and used his knowledge of locomotion in modern birds as an actualistic method for portraying flying reptiles. Teaching was his motivation, and to aid his classes, beyond multiple drawings, he created a large number of scaled structural models of foraminifera and a life-size wooden replica of the Pteranodon with mobile articulations. Manfred Reichel was a perfectionist who left a large part of his studies and drawings unpublished.