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The image shows a gathering near a body of water. The horizon is in the lower part of the composition, with water extending to the left and plants lining the shore. People are boarding or leaving a small boat, while others are gathered near a rustic structure against rocky cliffs. The artist's style uses loose brushstrokes with muted sepia and brown tones, creating movement. Dark ink accents define figures and natural elements, blending into a background of distant mountains partly covered by clouds. The sepia-toned palette gives the image a warm, cohesive feel, highlighting the natural setting.
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The image shows a gathering near a body of water. The horizon is in the lower part of the composition, with water extending to the left and plants lining the shore. People are boarding or leaving a small boat, while others are gathered near a rustic structure against rocky cliffs. The artist's style uses loose brushstrokes with muted sepia and brown tones, creating movement. Dark ink accents define figures and natural elements, blending into a background of distant mountains partly covered by clouds. The sepia-toned palette gives the image a warm, cohesive feel, highlighting the natural setting.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Ferry on the Königsee

Friedrich Gauermann

Date
1827/1839
Medium
pen and brown ink with brown wash, heightened with white chalk, over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 21.9 x 28.9 cm (8 5/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2007.111.92
Credit line
Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Purchased as the Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin
Time span
1826 to 1850
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • German
  • Boats
  • Water
  • Mountains
  • Boat
  • Nature
  • Figures
  • Cloud
  • Seascape
Provenance

Fürstlich Hohenzollernsches Museum, Sigmaringen (Lugt 2759). Konrad Diepolder, Munich; purchased 1984 by Wolfgang Ratjen, Munich; purchased 2007 by NGA.

Inscription

at lower right in graphite in a different hand: F. Gauermann; verso, a graphite study for A Ferry on the Königsee (c. 1839?); verso, at top in graphite in a different hand: 779/15 Friedrich Gauermann 1807-1862

Watermarks

none

NGA object ID 139251. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.