English School, 19th century, A View of Cologne

English School, 19th century

A View of Cologne

Oil on canvas (relined). 51 x 61 cm.

This painting, which is stylistically close to the vedutas of William Turner, shows a well loved and frequently depicted view of Cologne seen from the Bayenturm, one of the fortified towers in the medieval city wall. It shows the view along the left bank of the river Rhine with the spires of Greater St. Martin's (without the south west tower, which was completed in 1875, and probably also without the north west tower, completed in 1847) as well as the choir of Cologne Cathedral, which was completed in the Middle Ages, and the two stout towers of Saint Cunibert in the north of the city. Numerous ships and figures, including some bathers in the Rhine, complete this view of the city bathed in golden light.