The Tharandt Ruins, 1799
Pen in black over pencil marks, watercolored in three shades of gray
Sheet dimensions19,4 × 23 cm
About the workUsing minimal strokes, the landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich depicted the stone ruin. The precisely drawn lines were applied with a drawing pen. The shadows created with light gray watercolor give the impression of bright sunlight falling on the masonry from the left. Friedrich visited the Tharandt castle ruins during one of his journeys through Saxon Switzerland. The ruins are located near the city of Dresden and were a popular subject for local artists. On the left are houses in the village of Tharandt, situated below the ruins.
AccessionAcquisition 1921
Provenance[...]; 1921 angekauft von der Galerie Ernst Arnold, Dresden
Inventory numberK 1921-239v
