(Vienna 1812-1905) Gosausee with Dachstein, titled "Gosausee", once more titled and signed "Gosausee mit Dachstein", Rud. Alt fec., in pencil at the lower margin, watercolour on millboard, old inscriptions and an adhesive label on the reverse, 33 x 26 cm, mounted, framed, collector’s mark Georg Plach, Wien, (Hu)

Provenance:
Collection Georg Plach (1818-1885), Vienna; private collection, Germany.

Lake Gosau in the Salzkammergut with the view of imposing Dachstein glacier and the summits of the Gosaukamm range are considered one of the most popular, widely painted and photographed motifs of Austria. The lake always attracted painters as well as nature lovers. The natural scientist and globetrotter Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt called Lake Gosau the “Eye of God”.

Compare:
Exh.cat. Albrecht Schröder, Maria Luise Sternath, Rudolf von Alt, 1812-1905, Vienna 2005, Figs. 105-107 and p. 214. As to the two seemingly unfinished studies of the Salzkammergut, Alt at first roughly organized the landscape with pencil lines bevor he continued with the coloured illustration, which became more and more detailed as it gravitated towards the main scene, which was the lake. In a last step he defined the foreground, at this stage an uneven strip, to be mentally skipped if one really needed a concrete motif to enter the scene. In fact, Rudolf von Alt did not consider these depictions unfinished at this state. They can therefore be regarded as complete, particularly as he frequently confirmed them as such by adding his signature.

We are grateful to Dr. Maria Luise Sternath, Vienna, for the scientific support.