Landscape painters like Johan Christian Clausen Dahl had a masterful talent for depicting the impressive effect of rugged mountains and steep Alpine valleys. Shortly after Dahl's return from a longer stay in Italy in 1820, he painted this picture. Here, the Norwegian artist combines his impressions of the Tyrolean mountain world with the idea of the greatness of nature still under the influence of his Scandinavian origin and homeland. European educational travellers eagerly bought such representations filled with the dense atmosphere of Southern and Alpine landscapes to decorate their parlours.