Facade of the National Library, Vienna Rudolf von Alt 1840-1849

From the collection of
The Walters Art Museum
Alt was an Austrian painter, draughtsman and printmaker, but was perhaps most productive and accomplished as a watercolor painter. His father was the artist Jakob Alt (1789-1872), and from the age of six Rudolf accompanied him on study trips and colored his father's drawings. From 1825 to 1832 he studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Vienna. On finishing his studies he traveled widely with his father, through Italy and Austro-Hungary. After 1835 he concentrated more on scenes of rural and urban life rather than landscapes. Many of these were reproduced as lithographs. In the 1840s his brush work took on a crystalline clarity, synthesizing atmosphere with myriad details, as in this watercolor, which probably dates from this period. Throughout the rest of his life Alt was greatly in demand from royal and aristocratic patrons.
Details
Title: Facade of the National Library, Vienna
Creator: Rudolf von Alt (Austrian, 1812-1905)
Date Created: 1840-1849
External Link: For more information about this and thousands of other works of art in the Walters Art Museum collection, please visit http://art.thewalters.org/detail/3418
Roles: Artist: Rudolf von Alt (Austrian, 1812-1905)
Provenance: Probably acquired by William T. Walters, Baltimore; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Object Type: watercolors
Medium: watercolor on paper
Inscriptions: [Signature] Lower right: Rudolf Alt
Geography: Place of Origin: Österreich
Dimensions: H: 4 15/16 x W: 7 5/8 in. (12.6 x 19.3 cm)
Credit Line: Acquired by William T. Walters (?)
Classification: Painting & Drawing
Accession Number: 37.1276

The Walters Art Museum
Baltimore, United States

The Walters Art Museum is one of only a few museums in the world to present a panorama of art from the third millennium B.C. to the early 20th century. The thousands of treasures range from mummies to arms and armor, from old master paintings to Art Nouveau jewelry. The Walters’ Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ethiopian and Western Medieval art collections are among the finest in the nation, as are the museum’s holdings of Renaissance and Asian art and a spectacular reserve of illuminated manuscripts and rare books. Every major trend in French painting during the 19th century is represented in the collection.

Rudolf von Alt
Aug 28, 1812 - Mar 12, 1905

Rudolf Ritter von Alt was an Austrian landscape and architectural painter. Born as Rudolf Alt, he could call himself von Alt and bear the title of a Ritter after he gained nobility in 1889.
http://hisour.com/art-medium/watercolor/facade-of-the-national-library-vienna-rudolf-von-alt-1840-1849/