Description
Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I is Gustav Klimt’s 1908 view of a castle seen from the lake: a long cream-yellow building with dark roofs and two small towers, half hidden behind dense green trees, a small grey boathouse on the water and, below, a broad band of green lake that mirrors it all in long vertical strokes. The original is in the National Gallery Prague. 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 send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
| Title: | Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I |
| Other titles: | Water Castle · Schloss by the Water · Wasserschloss · Vodní zámek |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | 1908 |
| Original size: | 110 cm x 100 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Vienna Secession, landscape |
| Located at: | National Gallery Prague (inv. O 4103) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, eight square sizes or made to measure |
Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I – Gustav Klimt
What does the painting show?
Klimt looks at the castle from the water. Across the upper half of the canvas runs a long cream-yellow building with dark, steep roofs and two small towers, but you only see parts of it: dense green trees and bushes cover much of the facade, so walls and windows appear between the leaves. On the right, a small grey boathouse stands at the very edge of the lake.
The lower half belongs to the water. The green lake repeats the trees, the yellow walls and the boathouse in long vertical strokes, so the castle seems to continue downwards and slowly dissolve. Only a few small patches of blue sky show at the very top. There are no people and no boats – just the building, the trees and their reflection, built up from hundreds of small dabs of colour.
Why is it called the Water Castle?
The painting is known by several names: Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I, Schloss by the Water, or simply Water Castle – in German Wasserschloss, in Czech Vodní zámek. All of them describe what you see: a castle that seems to rise straight out of the lake, with the water taking up as much room as the building itself.
According to the Belvedere in Vienna, the buildings of Schloss Kammer once stood on an island in the Attersee. Klimt shows them from the lake side, so the water is not a background but half of the composition. That is why the name fits so well: in this painting the castle and the lake belong together.
A quiet view between trees and water
Klimt does not paint the castle as a proud monument. He lets the trees take over the facade and the lake take over the bottom half, so the building becomes part of the landscape. The result is calm, almost meditative: green, cream and grey, with light breaking through in small patches.
The many short strokes, the high viewpoint and the nearly square format give the scene the decorative order typical of Klimt’s landscapes. From close up you see separate dabs of colour; step back and they turn into leaves, walls and reflections. On a wall it brings the stillness of a summer lake into the room.
Where is the original?
The original hangs in the National Gallery Prague, where it is catalogued under the accession number O 4103. It is painted in oil on canvas, and the gallery gives its size as about 110 cm high and 100 cm wide; some lists give it as square, and some date it 1908–09 instead of 1908. The gallery’s record is on Google Arts & Culture, linked in the table above.
Because the original is in a museum in Prague, a hand-painted version is the way to have this view of the Attersee on your own wall every day. Our version is not a print: we paint it for you, by hand, in the size you choose. More about the painting and its several titles is in the English Wikipedia article on the painting.
Schloss Kammer I among Klimt’s Kammer views
Klimt returned to Schloss Kammer again and again: he painted it five times in all. In this first view the castle is seen across the water, with the boathouse on the right and the long reflections below. In Schloss Kammer on the Attersee III, painted a year or two later and now in the Belvedere, he comes much closer: the yellow facade fills the canvas, seen through a telescope from the other side of a small bay. Which to choose? This first view if you want more water and a softer, greener mood; the third if you want the building itself in close-up. The third view is in our gallery as Schloss Kammer on the Attersee III, and Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II adds a view from the land side, with the dark roofs behind tall trees and a meadow in front.
In our gallery you will also find Avenue in the Park of Kammer Castle, where an avenue of old trees leads to the castle entrance, Island in Lake Attersee and On Lake Attersee, two views made almost entirely of water, and Malcesine on Lake Garda, a lakeside town painted in the same square format.
How do we paint Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I by hand?
The painter first draws the main lines on the canvas: the shoreline, the outline of the castle with its roofs and towers, the boathouse and the edge of the trees. Then the large areas go on in thin layers – the green of the lake, the cream-yellow walls, the dark roofs and the masses of foliage.
After that comes the patient part: hundreds of small dabs of green, yellow and blue for the leaves, the windows glimpsed between them, and the long vertical strokes of the reflections in the water. A printed oil painting reproduction flattens all of these strokes into one smooth surface; painted by hand, each stroke keeps its own body and catches the light. Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are quite alike.
There is no gold in this landscape, and none in our version: we use oil colours only, as in the original.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm for a small wall, a hallway or a study; 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm above a chest of drawers or in a bedroom; 100 x 100 or 110 x 110 cm above a sofa; and 120 x 120 or 150 x 150 cm for a large wall or an open-plan room. The 110 x 110 cm size is closest to the original, which is about 110 cm high and 100 cm wide.
All eight sizes are square; the original is only slightly taller than it is wide, so if you want its exact proportion we paint it to measure. The many small strokes of leaves and water work best large, so if you have the space, choose 100 x 100 cm or more. As a painting for the living room, 120 x 120 cm above a three-seat sofa gives you a whole lakeside in one view. In a bedroom or study the green and cream colours create a calm, restful mood.
Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 to 160 cm above the floor; over furniture, leave 20 to 30 cm between the top of the furniture and the lower edge of the canvas. As a rule of thumb, a painting above a sofa looks best at about two thirds of the sofa’s width.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If none of the eight sizes fits your wall, we paint it to measure – for example in the slightly upright proportion of the original. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote the price and delivery time. Every painting we make is stretched on a wooden stretcher frame 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 natural wood frame suits the greens of the lake; a white or cream frame keeps the castle walls bright.
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; if anything is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy applies to every order.
If it is a gift and you are not sure of the size, there is our gift voucher. More of Klimt’s work is in our Gustav Klimt gallery, and more about the painter in our article 10 interesting facts about Gustav Klimt.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I by Klimt?
The original is in the National Gallery Prague, under the accession number O 4103. It is painted in oil on canvas and, according to the gallery, measures about 110 cm high and 100 cm wide, although some lists describe it as square. Of our sizes, 110 x 110 cm is the closest to the original.
When did Klimt paint Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I?
Klimt painted it in 1908; some lists date it 1908–09. He spent his summers at the Attersee in Austria, and Schloss Kammer became one of his recurring subjects: he painted it five times in all. This first view shows the castle from the lake, half hidden by trees, with a long reflection in the water.
What does Klimt’s Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I show?
It shows a long cream-yellow castle with dark roofs and two small towers, half hidden behind dense green trees, with a small grey boathouse on the right. The lower half is green lake water that repeats everything in long vertical strokes. A few patches of blue sky appear at the very top.
Why is Schloss Kammer I also called Water Castle?
Because it shows the castle from the lake, with the water filling the lower half of the canvas. In German it is called Wasserschloss and in Czech Vodní zámek, both meaning a castle by the water. According to the Belvedere, the buildings of Schloss Kammer once stood on an island in the Attersee.
What is the difference between Schloss Kammer I and Schloss Kammer III?
The first view, in Prague, shows the castle from across the water, with a boathouse and long reflections. The third, in the Belvedere in Vienna, comes much closer: the yellow facade fills the canvas, probably painted with the help of a telescope. Choose the first for more water and green, the third for the building itself.
Is there gold in Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I?
No, there is no gold in this landscape. It is painted in natural colours – greens, cream-yellow, grey and touches of blue – and its liveliness comes from many small strokes, not from metal leaf. We therefore paint our version in oil colours only, without gold paint, exactly like the original.
Which size of Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I suits my wall?
For a small wall or a hallway, 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm works well. Above a chest of drawers 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. The 110 x 110 cm size is closest to the original.
Which room suits Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I?
It suits a living room, a bedroom, a study or a dining room – anywhere you want calm and the freshness of a summer lake. As a canvas painting it goes well with white, cream, sage or grey walls, light wood and linen. It is a lovely choice if you have spent a summer by an Austrian lake.
Is Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I a good gift?
Yes, especially for someone who enjoys lakes, old houses or Klimt’s landscapes more than his famous gold. The square format fits almost any wall, and the subject is calm and timeless. If you are not sure of the size, choose 80 x 80 cm, which fits most homes, or give a voucher so the recipient can choose.
- Subject: a cream-yellow castle half hidden by trees, a grey boathouse and the green lake mirroring it all.
- Original: 1908, oil on canvas, about 110 x 100 cm, National Gallery Prague.
- Our version: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in eight square sizes or made to measure.
- Good to know: before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval.
