Carl Hackert
Prenzlau, 1740 – Morges, 1796
Vue de la Mer de Glace et de l’hôpital de Blair du sommet du Montenvers dans le mois d’Aoust 1781
38.5 x 50.5 cm (view) – 15 3/16 x 19 7/8 in.
Watercolor on engraving.
Engraved at bottom “Vue de la mer de glace et de l’hopital de Blair Du somet du Montanvert dans le mois d’Aoust 1781”.
Provenance: Galerie Grand-Rue, Geneva.
Carl Ludwig Hackert was a German-born artist from Prenzlau, who made his name as a landscape painter and engraver. He was the brother of several other painters, the most famous of whom was Jacob Philipp Hackert. Living in Switzerland, Carl Ludwig Hackert is particularly renowned for his views of Switzerland, often reproduced in watercolor aquatints. He notably collaborated with Jean-Antoine Linck in Geneva.
This engraving by Carl Ludwig Hackert, entitled “Vue de la Mer de Glace et de l’hôpital de Blair du sommet du Montenvers dans le mois d’août 1781”, is one of his most famous works, providing important evidence of the rise of alpine tourism at the time. Produced in 1781, it is the product of an etching (a type of engraving) that has been enhanced by hand with watercolor and gouache, resulting in a colorful, detailed rendering of the landscape. The work captures a spectacular view of the Mer de Glace, a glacier that was then much more imposing than it is today. The central architectural element is the “Blair hospital”, also known as the Blair shelter or Blair hospice, a simple hut or refuge built on the Montenvers site to accommodate visitors. The scene illustrates the growing appeal of the Alps to early tourists: Hackert incorporates human figures, showing travelers admiring the panorama, and sometimes even one of them drawing under a parasol, symbolizing the beginning of contemplative and picturesque tourism. This print is therefore a valuable source for the history of art, tourism and glaciology.
Condition report – Nice condition, vertical fold in the middle of the leaf.
Louis XVI style gilded frame.
