2839 - Wolf Caspar

Wolf Caspar 1735 Muri, Aargau – 1783 Heidelberg The Geltenschüssli with the Geltenhorn Oil on canvas Framed 45 × 32.5 cm The painting is presented in a richly carved wooden frame attributed to Johann Friedrich Funk I (1706–1775). Peter Fischer, curator of the Caspar Wolf Museum in Muri, AG, has examined the work on site and considers it to be a replica painted by Caspar Wolf himself, based on the first version of his painting. We thank him for his examination and expert assessment. This work depicts the Geltenschüssli in summer, where the wild mountain stream roars and bubbles as it plunges past enormous boulders into the depths. On the right, the water emerges as a fine mist directly from the mountain. In the background, the barren Geltenhorn rises up, majestically disappearing into the gathering clouds. Cattle graze on a grassy ledge, accompanied by an alpine herder with a dog. Wooden ladders and barriers indicate the difficult access and dangers to which both humans and animals are exposed in this high-alpine environment. In the lower right, a small figure in a red coat, equipped with a hat and a walking stick, is valiantly hiking up the slope. The civilian clothing and the folder tucked under his arm suggest an exploration of an area that, until then, had been familiar primarily to shepherds. The depiction combines a precise rendering of a characteristic landscape, the pioneering spirit of exploring the mountains, and the dramatic dynamism of swirling water, rugged cliffs, steep slopes, and changeable weather. The “Geltenschüssli” exemplifies how Caspar Wolf combines precise observation of nature with the depiction of a mountainous world that is both utilized by humans and overwhelmingly majestic. A larger, earlier oil painting of the same subject is now in private hands. In 1785, the *Geltenschüssli* also appeared as “*Vue de la chûte du torrent de Gelten*,” plate 8 of the Parisian work *Vues remarquables des montagnes de la Suisse*, executed as a colored aquatint by Charles-Melchior Descourtis. Auction Date: November 28, 2026 Approximate Auction Time: 11:14 a.m. CET