Remembrances of a Scene near Auerbach

Robert S. Duncanson, Remembrances of a Scene near Auerbach, ca. 1856, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Drs. Richard and Barbara Wong, 1983.95.172
Copied Robert S. Duncanson, Remembrances of a Scene near Auerbach, ca. 1856, oil on canvas, 13 1⁄2 x 18 3⁄8 in. (34.3 x 46.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Drs. Richard and Barbara Wong, 1983.95.172
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Artwork Details

Title
Remembrances of a Scene near Auerbach
Artist
Date
ca. 1856
Location
Dimensions
13 1⁄2 x 18 3⁄8 in. (34.3 x 46.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Drs. Richard and Barbara Wong
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Landscape — lake
  • Landscape — rocks
  • Landscape — Germany — Auerbach
  • Architecture Exterior — castle
Object Number
1983.95.172
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.172

Artwork Description

Robert Duncanson’s trip to Europe in 1853 probably inspired Remembrances of a Scene near Auerbach. In the distance, a lake disappears into tree-covered mountains, and nestled into the hills sits Auerbach Castle, a German fortress that still exists today. Shafts of sunlight stream through the clouds, illuminating the castle and making it the focal point in the landscape. Like many nineteenth-century American artists, Duncanson was fascinated with Europe’s classical and medieval ruins as aesthetically pleasing markers of the passage of time and its effect on the landscape.