Interior of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

c. 1810

Karl Friedrich Schinkel

(German, 1781–1841)

Culture

Germany, 19th century

Medium

lithograph

Support

Wove paper

Measurements

Sheet: 46.2 x 31.5 cm (18 3/16 x 12 3/8 in.); Image: 24 x 15.8 cm (9 7/16 x 6 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1998.8

Catalogue raisonné

Winkler 763.12

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Location

Not on view

Description

Renowned as an architect and an imaginative draftsman and painter, Schinkel was an important early practitioner of lithography, a technique invented at the end of the 18th century in Germany. Schinkel experimented with this new medium in creative ways, searching for a means to achieve tone. In order to simulate the effect of bright light illuminating the interior of Saint Stephen's Cathedral, he covered the surface of the stone with lithographic ink and then scratched out the design with a sharp tool. One of only a few impressions of this print, Interior of Saint Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna exemplifies the museum's extensive early lithography collection.