Description
Malcesine on Lake Garda is Klimt’s view of a small Italian lakeside town, painted in the summer of 1913: houses crowded below the castle tower, their colours mirrored in the calm water. The original, oil on canvas, 110 x 110 cm, has been lost since 1945 – destroyed or missing, nobody knows for sure. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas after the surviving colour reproduction, in eight square sizes or to measure, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
| Title: | Malcesine on Lake Garda |
| Other titles: | Malcesine am Gardasee · Malcesine sul Lago di Garda |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | 1913 |
| Original size: | 110 cm x 110 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Vienna Secession, landscape |
| Located at: | Lost since 1945: long believed destroyed in the fire at Schloss Immendorf in May 1945 |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas after the surviving colour reproduction, eight square sizes or made to measure |
Malcesine on Lake Garda – Gustav Klimt
What is shown?
Klimt shows Malcesine as it looks from the lake: a dense wall of houses with ochre, pink and white facades and red-brown roofs, pressed together along the shore. Above them, at the top of the painting, rises the castle tower with its battlements, and behind the roofs a green hillside climbs out of the square.
The lower third belongs to the water. The calm, grey-blue lake carries rippling reflections of the houses, and a few boats lie at the shore with their reflections beneath them. There is hardly any sky and there are no people; the town itself, its colours and their echo in the water are the whole subject.
A lost painting: what happened in 1945?
Malcesine on Lake Garda belonged to the Lederer collection in Vienna. It has been considered lost since the Second World War. For a long time it was believed to have been destroyed in May 1945, when Schloss Immendorf in Lower Austria burned; the fire broke out on 8 May 1945, and other works by Klimt were destroyed there too.
Later research has questioned whether this painting ever reached Immendorf at all: it may not have burned but simply disappeared (see the story on Klimt’s burned works on Google Arts & Culture). So the honest answer is: destroyed or lost in 1945 – nobody knows for sure. It may still exist somewhere.
What does the painting mean?
Malcesine has no hidden allegory. It is a portrait of a place: a summer town on the water, seen with the same calm attention Klimt gave to his meadows and gardens. The houses become a pattern of coloured rectangles, the windows a rhythm of small dark marks, and the castle a quiet crown above them.
What fascinates many people is the mirror in the water. The lake repeats the town in broken, trembling strokes, so the painting holds two Malcesines at once, one solid and one quivering. Because the original is lost, the painting also carries a second meaning today: it is the memory of a work that can no longer be seen.
Klimt at Lake Garda in 1913
Klimt spent his summers away from Vienna and painted his landscapes there. In 1913 his summer stay took him to Lake Garda in northern Italy, and Malcesine, a small town on the eastern shore of the lake, became the subject of this canvas. Like most of his landscapes, he painted it on a square canvas, here 110 x 110 cm.
The painting belonged to the collection of the Lederer family, among the most important collectors of Klimt in Vienna. Its later fate is described above; what survives is a colour reproduction, and our copies are painted after it. There is more about the painter’s life on Wikipedia.
Malcesine among Klimt’s landscapes
Many of Klimt’s landscapes show nature alone: meadows, gardens and trees. In Malcesine the subject is a town, packed with houses and their reflections. If you like his square landscapes, compare it with The Park, a wall of green treetops, or with Poppy Field, a meadow full of red flowers.
For the love of pattern in a garden there is Farm Garden with Sunflowers, and for the ornament of his golden period Tree of Life. Choose Malcesine if you want architecture and water rather than flowers: a landscape with a place, a summer and a story behind it.
How is our hand-painted version made?
Because the original cannot be seen, our painter works from the colour reproduction that survives. First the composition is drawn on the canvas: the line of the shore, the blocks of houses and the castle tower. Then the facades are painted in their ochres, pinks and whites, and the roofs in red-brown, block by block.
The water comes last and gets the most care. Short horizontal strokes break up the reflections of the houses and boats, so the lake trembles as it does in Klimt’s version. There is no gold in this painting; its charm lies in the patchwork of facades and the shimmer of the lake.
Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are ever exactly the same. That is what separates it from a printed oil painting reproduction: the strokes in the water and the texture of the walls are real paint.
Which size for which wall?
Short answer: 90 x 90 cm for most walls, 70 x 70 cm for a smaller wall, and 110 x 110 cm if you want the size of the original. There are eight square sizes: 60 x 60, 70 x 70, 80 x 80, 90 x 90, 100 x 100, 110 x 110, 120 x 120 and 150 x 150 cm.
Malcesine has plenty of detail, so the larger sizes show the houses and reflections best from across the room. As a painting for the living room it brings a holiday view of Italy above a sofa; it also suits a dining room, a hallway or a study, and it is a natural choice for anyone who has stayed on Lake Garda. Choose a size that takes up about two thirds of the width of the furniture below.
Hang it with the centre about 150 cm above the floor, 20 to 30 cm above a sofa or sideboard.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If you need Malcesine in a size that is not on the list, we paint it to measure. Send us the width and height and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every Klimt reproduction we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.
For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A warm wooden or gold frame matches the ochre facades, while a simple white frame keeps the lake cool and light.
Delivery and guarantee
Every painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve, and our returns policy applies to every order.
Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and there is more about the painter in our ten facts about Klimt. If the painting is a gift for someone who loves Lake Garda or Italy and you are unsure of the size, there is a wall art voucher: the recipient chooses the size and the subject.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Klimt’s Malcesine on Lake Garda today?
Nobody knows. The painting has been considered lost since 1945. It was long believed to have burned in the fire at Schloss Immendorf in Lower Austria in May 1945, but researchers have questioned whether it ever reached the castle, so it may still exist. What survives for certain is a colour reproduction, and our copies are painted after it.
Was Malcesine destroyed in the Immendorf fire?
Perhaps, but it is not certain. The fire at Schloss Immendorf broke out on 8 May 1945 and destroyed several works by Klimt kept there. Malcesine was long counted among them, yet later research doubts that the painting was ever stored at Immendorf. The honest answer is: destroyed or lost in 1945 – nobody knows for sure.
Who owned Malcesine on Lake Garda?
The painting belonged to the Lederer collection in Vienna, one of the most important private collections of Klimt’s work. It was part of that collection when it disappeared at the end of the Second World War. Since then nobody has seen it, and no museum holds the original. That is why today it exists only as a colour reproduction and in hand-painted versions.
What does Malcesine on Lake Garda show?
It shows the small town of Malcesine seen from the water: a dense row of houses with ochre, pink and white facades and red-brown roofs, the castle tower with battlements at the top and a green hillside behind. In the lower third the calm grey-blue lake mirrors the houses and a few boats in rippling reflections.
Where is Malcesine and when did Klimt paint it?
Malcesine is a small town on the eastern shore of Lake Garda in northern Italy. Klimt painted it in 1913, during his summer stay at the lake. Like most of his landscapes, the painting is square, 110 x 110 cm, oil on canvas. Today the town and its castle are a popular holiday destination on the lake.
Is Malcesine on Lake Garda a good choice for a living room?
Yes. Malcesine is a warm canvas painting full of detail, so it works well above a sofa, in a dining room or in a study. The ochre and pink houses bring warmth, and the grey-blue lake keeps the scene calm. It is especially loved by people who have spent holidays on Lake Garda and want that view at home.
Why is the water in Malcesine painted in short strokes?
Klimt broke the reflections of the houses into short, horizontal strokes, so the lake seems to tremble. From a distance the strokes merge into a shimmering mirror; close up you see each touch of the brush. On our copy the painter builds the water the same way, which gives the lake its movement and light.
How big is the original Malcesine, and which size should I choose?
The original measures 110 x 110 cm. Our 110 x 110 cm size matches it, and there are seven more square sizes from 60 x 60 to 150 x 150 cm. For most walls 90 x 90 cm is a good choice; for a large wall, 120 x 120 or 150 x 150 cm shows the houses and reflections best.
Is Malcesine on Lake Garda a good gift?
Yes, especially for anyone who loves Italy or has stayed on Lake Garda: it brings a summer view of the lake into the home. If you are unsure of the size, a voucher lets the recipient choose. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting for approval, so you can be sure of the gift.
- Subject: the lakeside town of Malcesine seen from the water, with its castle tower and reflections.
- Original: 1913, oil on canvas, 110 x 110 cm, lost since 1945.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas after the surviving colour reproduction, eight sizes.
- Good to know: before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve.
