Gustav Klimt – Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II

Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II is Gustav Klimt’s 1909 view of the castle from the land side, not from the lake: a huge dark brown-violet roof with rows of small dormer windows fills the upper half, two white curved gables with round windows rise behind tall trees, and in front lies a bright meadow in bands of yellow-green and turquoise with five young trees. The original is in a private collection. We hand-paint it to order in oil on canvas, in four square sizes from 60 x 60 to 90 x 90 cm or to your own measurement, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting to approve.

Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II – Gustav Klimt

What does the painting show?

This time Klimt stands on land and looks at Schloss Kammer from behind its trees. The upper half of the square canvas is taken up by an enormous roof in dark brown and violet, broken by rows of small dormer windows and topped with white chimneys. Out of it rise two white gables with curved baroque outlines, each with a round window. Below them run lower white wings under dark roofs, where a red or a green window shows here and there.

On the left a tall tree climbs almost to the top edge, painted in dense dabs of blue, green and yellow; it covers about a third of the canvas. More blue-green foliage stretches across the middle and hides the base of the building. The lower third is a wide meadow laid down in bands of yellow-green and turquoise, and in it stand five small, dark young trees. Klimt signed the painting in the lower right corner.

Which of the five Kammer views is this one?

Klimt painted Schloss Kammer five times. From 1900 to 1916 he spent several weeks every summer at the Attersee in Upper Austria, and the castle on its shore became a subject he kept returning to. Two of the other views look at it from the water: one across the lake, with a boathouse on the shore, and one close up, when the yellow lakeside facade fills the whole canvas.

This second view comes from the other side. Klimt shows the castle from the land side, so instead of water you get a meadow, and instead of a facade you get the roofs: the great dark roof and the two white gables, peering over and between the trees.

Roofs, trees and a meadow as a pattern

The painting holds the eye above all because Klimt leaves so little room for depth. Roof, foliage and meadow lie one above the other like three broad bands, each in its own colour: brown-violet at the top, blue-green in the middle, yellow-green and turquoise at the bottom. The white gables and white chimneys stand out against the dark roof like light accents on a woven fabric.

Up close, the tree on the left falls apart into separate flecks of paint; from a few steps away it becomes one round mass of leaves. The result is a landscape that is at once a real place and a decorative surface, and on a wall it brings in the quiet of a summer day in the country.

Where is the original?

The original belongs to a private collection. Klimt painted it in 1909 in oil on a square canvas of 110 x 110 cm and signed it at the lower right. These details are recorded in the English Wikipedia list of paintings by Gustav Klimt.

Since the original is privately owned and not in a museum, a hand-painted version is the most direct way to have this view of Schloss Kammer on your own wall. It is not a print: a painter copies it for you stroke by stroke, in the size you choose. For more about Klimt’s life, read the Wikipedia article on Gustav Klimt.

Schloss Kammer II among Klimt’s Attersee paintings

Our gallery holds three more paintings of the same castle. In Schloss Kammer on the Attersee I you look across the water at a cream-yellow building, with a small boathouse on the shore and long reflections below. In Schloss Kammer on the Attersee III the yellow lakeside facade comes so near that it fills the canvas; Klimt is said to have painted it with a telescope. And Avenue in the Park of Kammer Castle leads you down a line of trees towards the castle.

Which one to choose? Take this second view if you prefer the green of land to the green of water, and if the strong contrast of dark roof and bright meadow appeals to you. Take the first or the third if the lake itself matters most. And if you want water alone, with no building at all, On Lake Attersee shows little but the surface of the lake.

How do we paint Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II by hand?

Our painter starts by setting out the frame of the composition on the canvas: the outline of the great roof, the curves of both gables, the line of the white wings, the trunk and crown of the tall tree and the edge of the meadow. Thin first layers then cover the broad areas: the brown-violet roof, the white walls, the dark masses of foliage and the light green of the grass.

Then the slow work begins. The dormers and chimneys go in one at a time, then the round windows in the gables and the few red and green windows below. The tree on the left is built up from hundreds of small touches of blue, green and yellow, and the meadow receives its stripes of yellow-green and turquoise and its five young trees. An oil painting reproduction printed by machine would press all of this into one smooth surface; painted by hand, every stroke keeps its relief and catches the light. What you receive is a hand-painted copy made for your order alone.

This landscape has no gold, and we add none: we work only in oil colours, just as Klimt did on this canvas.

Which size for which wall?

In brief: 60 x 60 cm for an entrance hall, a home office or a slim stretch of wall; 70 x 70 cm above a desk or a small chest of drawers; 80 x 80 cm above a bed or a sideboard; 90 x 90 cm above a sofa or as the main painting in a room. 90 x 90 cm is the largest size we offer for this painting in the shop; if you need a bigger one, ask for it as a made-to-measure order.

All four sizes are square, like Klimt’s canvas, so nothing is cut from the composition. The original measures 110 cm on each side, which makes every shop size a little smaller than the painting itself, with 90 x 90 cm the closest. The dark roof and the white gables read well even from the far end of a room, so this view works as a painting for the living room or for a dining room with a long wall.

For hanging, one simple rule helps: the middle of the canvas at eye level, around 155 cm above the floor. Over a sofa or a sideboard, leave a gap of 20 to 30 cm and aim for a width of about two thirds of the furniture.

Custom size, stretcher and frame

Would you like it larger than 90 x 90 cm, or in a size between our steps? We paint it to measure; keep it square if you want the whole composition. Send us the width and height you need and we will tell you the price and how long it takes. Each painting leaves our studio stretched on a wooden stretcher frame, ready to hang.

Our 3D application helps with the frame: it places each of our mouldings on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before you decide; it is meant for choosing the frame only. Seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service, our room placement. A dark wood frame echoes the brown-violet roof, while a white frame repeats the white gables and keeps the scene fresh.

Delivery and guarantee

We paint every order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days, depending on the size. The painting travels stretched and packed for transport, framed if you ordered a frame, anywhere in the EU and without customs. Before dispatch you get a photograph of the finished work to approve, and if something needs changing, we change it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy covers every order.

Buying it as a present without knowing the right size? Our gift voucher lets the recipient decide. You will find more of the painter’s work in our Gustav Klimt gallery and more about his life in our article 10 interesting facts about Gustav Klimt.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II?

The original is in a private collection. Klimt painted it in 1909 in oil on canvas, and it measures 110 x 110 cm, an exact square. It is signed in the lower right corner. As it hangs in private hands rather than in a museum, a hand-painted version is the practical way to enjoy this view of the castle at home.

When did Klimt paint Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II?

Klimt painted it in 1909. From 1900 to 1916 he spent several weeks every summer at the Attersee in Upper Austria, and during those years he painted Schloss Kammer five times. This second view is the one from the land side, with the big roof and the white gables behind the trees.

What does Klimt’s Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II show?

It shows the castle from the land side: a huge dark brown-violet roof with small dormer windows and white chimneys, two white curved gables with round windows, and lower white wings. A tall tree on the left and blue-green foliage hide part of the building. In front lies a bright meadow with five small young trees.

How is Schloss Kammer II different from Kammer I and III?

The first and third views look at the castle from the lake: the first across the water, with a boathouse and long reflections, the third close up on the yellow facade. This second view is painted from the land side, so you see roofs and white gables behind trees and a meadow with young trees in front, not water.

Is there gold in Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II?

No, this is not one of Klimt’s gold paintings. It is a landscape in natural colours: brown-violet and white for the castle, blue, green and yellow for the trees, yellow-green and turquoise for the meadow. Its life comes from many small strokes of paint. So our version, too, is done purely in oil colours, with no gold at all.

What is the largest size of Schloss Kammer II in the shop?

The largest size in our shop is 90 x 90 cm. The painting is also available in 60 x 60, 70 x 70 and 80 x 80 cm, all square like the original. If you need it bigger, for example closer to the original 110 x 110 cm, we paint it as a made-to-measure order; just send us the size you want.

Which room suits Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II?

It suits a living room, a dining room, a study or a bedroom, wherever you want the calm of the countryside. As a canvas painting with dark roofs, white gables and fresh greens, it goes well with white, grey, sage or warm beige walls and with natural wood.

Is Schloss Kammer on the Attersee II a good gift?

Yes, especially for someone who cares more for old houses, the Austrian lakes or Klimt’s landscapes than for his gold portraits. The square format suits almost any wall, and the subject is calm. If you do not know the recipient’s walls, 70 x 70 cm is a safe middle size, or give a voucher and let them choose.

How should I care for my Schloss Kammer painting?

Hang it away from direct sun, radiators and damp walls, and dust it now and then with a soft, dry brush or cloth. Never use water or cleaning products on the paint. Oil colours are durable, and a hand-painted Schloss Kammer looked after this way stays fresh for many years.

• Subject: Schloss Kammer from the land side: a dark brown-violet roof, white gables, a tall tree and a meadow with five young trees.
• Original: 1909, oil on canvas, 110 x 110 cm, private collection.
• Our version: a Klimt reproduction in oil, worked by hand on canvas, four square sizes up to 90 x 90 cm or made to measure.
• Good to know: a photograph of the finished painting is sent to you for approval before dispatch.