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The Old Spruce in Bad Gastein, 1899

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Watercolor and gouache on paper
56.8×50.4 cm

Artists

  • Rudolf von Alt

    (Vienna 1812–1905 Vienna)

Unfortunately not on display at the moment
Since 1886, Rudolf von Alt (1812–1905) had been summering in Gastein in the province of Salzburg. He was 87 years old when he created The Old Spruce in Bad Gastein. The tree is depicted in all its splendor in front of a forest-covered mountain scenery and extends over the entire height of the picture. The small figure of a woman working in the cabbage patch in the foreground makes the spruce appear even more majestic, which also expresses the artist’s deep sentiments towards nature. The watercolorist uses small dots and fine brushstrokes to build his pictorial elements. Nature seems to shine and glisten with clear sunlight. The dissolution of surfaces in air and light reflects Alt’s interest in Impressionism. The artist was well respected and was appointed honorary president of the newly founded Vienna Secession in 1897.

AGW, 2022

Object data

Artist/author
  • Rudolf von Alt
Title
The Old Spruce in Bad Gastein
Date
1899
Art movement
Impressionism
Category
Graphic work
Material​/technique
Watercolor and gouache on paper
Dimensions
56.8×50.4 cm
Signature
Signed and dated lower left: R. Alt 899
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 3645
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Selection of Reference works
  • Elisabeth Leopold/Rudolf Leopold u.a.: Leopold Museumsführer Deutsch, Wien 2016.
  • Verborgene Schätze der österreichischen Aquarellmalerei, hrsg. von Rudolf Leopold/Franz Smola, Wien 2010 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien 05.03.2010-24.05.2010).
  • Leopold Museum Wien. Österreichische Kunst des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, hrsg. von Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, München u.a. 2008.
  • Leopold. Meisterwerke aus dem Leopold Museum Wien, hrsg. von Rudolf Leopold und Romana Schuler, Köln u.a. 2001.
  • Walter Koschatzky: Rudolf von Alt : 1812 - 1905, Salzburg 1976.
Catalogue raisonne
  • Koschatzky 1975: 99/02
Keywords
landscape representationtreeforest/woodcloudsmountainsagriculturefarmer

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i

Nachlass Rudolf von Alt, Wien (1905); (1)
Sammlung Müllner (o.D.); (2)
Kunsthandel Stepanik, Wien (o.D.); (3)
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (o.D.);
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (1994).

  1. Galerie Miethke, Öffentliche Versteigerung des künstlerischen Nachlasses von Rudolf von Alt in der Galerie H.O. Miethke, Wien 1906, Nr. 158 “Gasteiner Fichte”
  2. Walter Koschatzky, Rudolf von Alt 1812-1905. Die schönsten Aquarelle aus den acht Jahrzehnten seines Schaffens, Salzburg 1989, Nr. 61
  3. Mündliche Auskunft Dr. Rudolf Leopold an Dr. Robert Holzbauer (LMPS) vom 19.11.2009

For provenance related information, please contact us.

Search in collection

landscape representationtreeforest/woodcloudsmountainsagriculturefarmer