137 - T. WEBER (1813–1875), Ruins of a Fortress in the Mountains, Michaelis, 1836, pencil

T. WEBER (1813–1875), Ruins of a Fortress in the Mountains, Michaelis, 1836, pencil Therese Weber (1813 Nymphenburg–1875 Munich): Fortress Ruins in the Mountains, Austria, Michaelis, 1836, pencil Technique: Pencil on paper Inscription: Dated lower right: “Michaelis 1836.” Date: 1836 Description: Sketch by the traveling artist depicting a view from a path winding between rocks toward a ruined castle or fortress. Presumably created while traveling in the Alpine region, South Tyrol, Tyrol, Austria, or Switzerland. Therese Weber owed her training as an artist to some of the most renowned artists of her time—Karl Rottmann, Christian Morgenstern, and Albrecht Adam—thanks to the encouragement of her uncle, General Freiherr von Weber. After her father’s death, he took Therese in and recognized the girl’s talent and inclination. The artist trained in landscape and animal painting and studied modern languages, history, and literature. She sketched and painted nature on numerous trips to Alsace, Lorraine, and the Bavarian Inn Valley. During a trip to Lake Tegernsee, she met the botanist August Max Einsele, who inspired her to create accurate drawings of the plant world and to compile a picturesque herbarium. Therese Weber excelled as a botanical artist and published several collections on local flora, particularly that of the Alpine countries. She also used these studies herself to decorate fans. In her later years, the artist also traveled frequently, accompanied by an adopted orphan. She traveled to Italy, France, and Switzerland and participated in social life. At the age of 62, she succumbed to diphtheria and died on December 30, 1875. Keywords: 19th century, Romanticism, Landscape, Austria, Size: Paper: 33.0 cm x 45.2 cm (13 x 17.8 in) Condition: Good condition. Pale foxing on all sides. Some heavy waviness along the edges. Traces of creasing in the corners. Full-page horizontal crease along the lower edge of the sheet. Small grease stain in the upper right corner. The image is in very good condition.