Description
Litzlberg on Lake Attersee is the lakeside hillside Gustav Klimt painted in 1915: a steep slope of dense green and blue-green forest fills almost the whole square, a bright meadow opens in the middle, and along the shore at the bottom runs a narrow strip of white houses with red roofs. The original is in a private collection. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in eight square sizes from 60 x 60 to 150 x 150 cm or to your own measurement, and you approve a photograph of the finished painting before we send it.
| Title: | Litzlberg on Lake Attersee |
| Other titles: | Litzlberg am Attersee · Litzlberg sull’Attersee · Litzlberg ob Atterseeju |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | 1915 |
| Original size: | 110 cm x 110 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Vienna Secession, landscape |
| Located at: | Private collection |
| Our reproduction: | Painted by hand in oil on canvas, eight square sizes or made to measure |
Litzlberg on Lake Attersee – Gustav Klimt
What does the painting show?
A hillside covered in forest rises almost to the top edge of the canvas. Thousands of small strokes of green, blue-green and olive weave the trees into one dense, softly moving surface, like a woven carpet. In the middle the forest opens onto a bright green meadow, a clearing of light between the dark slopes.
Only at the bottom does the human world appear: a narrow strip of white houses with red roofs and a small church tower, lined up along the shore. Below them lies a sliver of the lake, and at the very top a little pale sky. The village is tiny against the mountain, and that contrast gives the painting its calm, almost timeless mood.
The painting’s return to the family in 2011
Litzlberg on Lake Attersee has a history that reaches far beyond the lake. It belonged to the collection of the Austrian industrialist Viktor Zuckerkandl, and in 1927 it passed to his sister, Amalie Redlich. In 1941 Amalie Redlich was deported and never heard of again; her collection was seized and sold.
Decades later the painting was in the museum of modern art in Salzburg. In 2011 the museum returned it to her grandson, Georges Jorisch. The same year it was sold at Sotheby’s in New York for 40.4 million US dollars, and part of the proceeds was donated to the museum.
Why does the forest fill almost the whole square?
Klimt’s landscapes are often built exactly like this: instead of a wide view with a lot of sky, he takes a square canvas and fills it almost entirely with nature, pushing the horizon up to the top edge. Here the slope becomes a pattern of colour, and the village at the bottom is the only firm line in it.
Litzlberg lies on the northern shore of the Attersee, the lake where Klimt first stayed in the summer of 1900. Fifteen years later he painted this view of it, and the result is a quiet portrait of a place he knew well: no figures, no event, just forest, meadow, houses and water in the summer light.
Where is the original?
The original, painted in oil on canvas and measuring 110 x 110 cm, is in a private collection, so it is not on regular public view. Its basic details are listed in the English Wikipedia list of Klimt’s paintings. Our 110 x 110 cm size is exactly the size of Klimt’s canvas.
Because the original hangs in a private home, a version painted by hand is the way to bring this Attersee view onto your own wall. It is not a print: every leaf and every roof is painted with a brush, in the size you choose.
Litzlberg on Lake Attersee among Klimt’s landscapes
Klimt painted the Attersee again and again, and several of these views are in our gallery. On Lake Attersee and Island in Lake Attersee show the water itself, with only a wooded island at the edge; Avenue in the Park of Kammer Castle leads through gnarled trees to a yellow castle; and Poppy Field is a meadow glowing with red flowers.
Litzlberg is the one with a whole village in it, set between forest and water. Choose it if you want green and calm with a human touch; choose the lake views for pure water, or Poppy Field for warm red. More about Klimt’s life is on Wikipedia’s Klimt page.
How do we paint Litzlberg by hand?
We begin with a light drawing on the canvas: the line of the shore, the row of houses, the edge of the meadow and the outline of the hill. Then the forest goes on in thin layers of dark green and blue, and the meadow and the sky in lighter tones.
The slow part follows: thousands of small strokes that turn the dark mass into living trees, the white walls and red roofs of the village, the little church tower and the reflections on the water. A printed oil painting reproduction would press all of this into a flat surface; by hand every stroke keeps its relief and the forest seems to breathe. Each painting is a hand-painted copy made only for your order, so yours will be unique.
Like Klimt’s original, our version has no gold: it is painted in oil colours alone.
Which size for which wall?
The short answer: 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm for a narrow wall, a hallway or beside a window; 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm above a sideboard or a bed; 100 x 100 or 110 x 110 cm above a sofa; 120 x 120 or 150 x 150 cm for a large wall or a room with a high ceiling. At 110 x 110 cm it matches the original.
Each of the eight sizes is square, like the original canvas, so the village and the forest stay complete. The fine pattern of the trees reads best from a little distance, so a larger size above a sofa or a dining table works very well. As a painting for the living room, 110 x 110 cm brings a whole Austrian hillside into the room; in a bedroom or a study the many shades of green feel restful.
Hang the centre of the canvas at about eye level, 150 to 160 cm from the floor, and keep 20 to 30 cm between the furniture and the lower edge of the canvas. Above a sofa, aim for about two thirds of the sofa’s width.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
Need a size that is not listed? We paint Litzlberg to measure; a square or nearly square format keeps the hillside and the village in proportion. Tell us the width and height and we will send you the price and the delivery time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher frame and arrives ready to hang.
Our 3D application lets you try every frame profile on this subject – gold, silver, black, white or natural wood – before you choose; it is used only for choosing the frame. If you would like to see the painting on your own wall, ask for our separate room placement service. A natural oak or walnut frame suits the forest; a thin white frame keeps the greens fresh.
Delivery and guarantee
Your painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia; depending on the size, delivery takes 15 to 45 days. We ship it on its stretcher, carefully packed, framed if you ordered a frame, anywhere in the EU without customs. Before it leaves, we send you a photograph of the finished painting for approval and correct anything you would like changed while it is still in the workshop. Our returns policy covers every order.
For a gift when you do not know the right size, there is our gift voucher. Browse more of Klimt’s paintings in our Gustav Klimt gallery, or read 10 interesting facts about Gustav Klimt.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original Litzlberg on Lake Attersee?
The original is in a private collection, so it is not shown in a public museum. It was sold at Sotheby’s in New York in November 2011 for 40.4 million US dollars, after a museum in Salzburg had returned it to the heirs of its pre-war owner. It measures 110 x 110 cm, the same as our 110 x 110 cm version.
When did Klimt paint Litzlberg on Lake Attersee?
Klimt painted it in 1915, during one of his summers at the Attersee in Austria. Litzlberg lies on the northern shore of the lake, where he had first stayed in the summer of 1900. Like many of his landscapes, the painting is square and filled almost entirely with nature, with the horizon pushed up high.
What does Klimt’s Litzlberg on Lake Attersee show?
It shows a steep hillside of dense green and blue-green forest that fills almost the whole square, with a bright meadow clearing in the middle. Along the shore at the bottom runs a strip of white houses with red roofs and a small church tower, with a sliver of lake below.
Why was Litzlberg on Lake Attersee returned in 2011?
Because it had been taken from its rightful owner. It belonged to Amalie Redlich, the sister of the industrialist Viktor Zuckerkandl; she was deported in 1941 and never heard of again, and her collection was seized and sold. In 2011 the museum of modern art in Salzburg returned the painting to her grandson, Georges Jorisch.
How much did Litzlberg on Lake Attersee sell for?
It sold for 40.4 million US dollars at Sotheby’s in New York in November 2011, shortly after it was returned to the family of its pre-war owner. Part of the proceeds was donated to the museum in Salzburg that had returned it. Today the painting is in a private collection.
Is there gold in Litzlberg on Lake Attersee?
No, there is no gold in this landscape. It is painted in greens, blues and white with the red of the roofs, and its liveliness comes from thousands of small strokes. We therefore paint our version in oil colours only, without gold paint, just as Klimt painted the original.
Which size of Litzlberg on Lake Attersee should I choose?
For a narrow wall or a hallway, 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm is enough. Above a sideboard or a bed choose 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm, above a sofa 100 x 100 or 110 x 110 cm, and for a large wall 120 x 120 or 150 x 150 cm. At 110 x 110 cm it matches the original.
Which room suits Litzlberg on Lake Attersee?
It suits a living room, a dining room, a bedroom or a study – any room that would benefit from a view of green hills and water. As a canvas painting full of fine detail, it rewards being seen up close and from across the room. It goes well with white, cream, sage or grey walls and with natural wood.
Is Litzlberg on Lake Attersee a good gift?
Yes, especially for someone who knows the Austrian lakes, enjoys hiking in nature, or prefers Klimt’s landscapes to his golden portraits. The square format fits most walls, and the subject is calm and timeless. If you are unsure of the size, choose 80 x 80 cm or give our gift voucher instead.
- Subject: a forested hillside above the Attersee with a bright meadow and a strip of white houses with red roofs along the shore.
- Original: 1915, oil on canvas, 110 x 110 cm, private collection.
- Our version: a Klimt reproduction in oil on canvas, painted by hand in one of eight square sizes or to your measurement.
- Good to know: you approve a photograph of the finished painting before we send it.
