View of a lake in the Austrian Salzkammergut ( Lake of Halstatt or Grundlsee to Sarstein) was executed in 1830s-1840s by famous Austrian landscape painter of the Biedermeier Epoch Franz Steinfeld (1787 Vienna - 1868 Pisek in Bohemia).

The landscape painter, who broke with the baroque tradition and exerted large influence on the later Viennese landscape painting , is considered as a father of the classical Biedermeier landscape. From 1802 to 1812 studied Steinfeld at the Viennese Academy by Lorenz Janscha (1749 - 1812), Martin von Molitor (1759 - 1812) and Albrecht Christian Dies (1755 - 1822). Study travells led him into the Netherlands, where he studied the works of the large masters 17th century. 1815-35 was Steinfeld a chamber painter of the ore duke (Erzherzog) Anton Viktor. End of the 30´s became Steinfeld professor and teacher of the class for landscape painting at the Viennese academy. He stopped his pupils consistently to the work before the motive. In the summer months on the travells through alpine countries resulted small sketches , which were prepared in the studio to paintings. Steinfeld aimed at similar reforms as George Ferdinand Waldmueller. Thus he demanded 1848 under the foreign exchange „more lights! " the enlargement of the windows of the landscape class and pushed thereby on violent resistance.

Literature: Thieme/Becker " Lexicon of artists from antique to contemporary", Leipzig, 1999; H.Fuchs "Lexicon of austrian artists of 19th century", Vienna, 1975; P. Pötschner, F. Steinfeld und die Überwindung des Barocks in der Wiener Landschaftsmalerei, Dissertation, Wien 1951.

Inscription: signed lower left.

Technique: oil on canvas. Luxuriousy original period gold-plated frame.

Measurements: unframed w 14" x h 10 3/4" (35,5 x 27,5 cm), framed w 19" x h 16 " (48,5 x 40,5 cm).

Condition: in very good condition.