2841 - Wolf Caspar

Wolf Caspar 1735 Muri AG – 1783 Heidelberg The Myrrenbach Falls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley Oil on canvas Inscribed on the reverse on a fragment of an old label: Wolf C. Framed 47.5 × 32.5 cm The painting is offered in a richly carved wooden frame attributed to Johann Friedrich Funk I (1706–1775). Peter Fischer, curator of the Caspar Wolf Museum in Muri, 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. The painting depicts the magnificent natural spectacle of Switzerland’s highest waterfall (417 m). It plunges step by step into the depths over a massive rock face shaded in dark brown tones. The overwhelming rocky backdrop and the cascading water dominate the composition. On the banks of the Weisse Lütschine, two tiny figures stand in the foreground; one of them points toward the waterfall with an outstretched arm, as if explaining the breathtaking spectacle to a companion. To the right of them, another hiker sits on the ground. These small figurative elements illustrate the immense scale of the landscape and underscore the sublime effect of the Myrrenbach Falls. A larger, earlier oil painting of the same subject is now in private hands. In 1777, the hand-colored outline etching “Chûte du Myrrenbach,” executed by Johann Rudolf Schellenberg, appeared as sheet 9 of the “Remarkable Views of the Swiss Mountains” published by Abraham Wagner in Bern. Auction Date: November 28, 2026 Approximate Auction Time: 11:15 a.m. CET