View of the Residence of Archduke Johann in Gastein Hot Springs

Painter to Archduke Johann (1782 - 1859)--brother of the Austrian emperor--Thomas Ender was commissioned to execute watercolors of the spectacular topography of the Austrian Alps. In this view of a mountain resort near Salzburg, the artist demonstrated a command of spatial expanse combined with effects of meticulous diminution. He delicately rendered the sublime geological elements of the Alpine landscape.

With radiant images such as this one, Ender played a significant role in creating a sense of Austrian cultural identity in the decades following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.