The Taj Mahal at sunset by Fischer, 19th Century oil painting

This superb landscape painting depicts a twilight vista of the city of Agra, East India, with the magnificent Taj Mahal almost glowing in the background. Whilst Orientalist landscapes and figurative subjects were common amongst European artists at the time, depictions of India are rarer, making this stunning painting a highly collectable piece.

Whilst the ivory white marble of the Taj Mahal is a clear focus of the landscape, the artist has populated the painting with other details to create a more naturalistic snapshot. In the foreground, a wooden boat is moored at the bank of the Yumana River, and various groups of figures are dotted along the shore, dressed in vibrant robes that further situate us outside of the Western world. The left-hand side of the canvas is lined with green shrubs, as well as several buildings that display the rounded domes and spires typical of the contemporary Mughal style, complementing the designs of the Taj Mahal itself.

Of note is the artist’s sensitive handling of light in this painting. With the sky taking up half of the canvas, the upper section of the work is filled with swathes of pink and orange. This light casts stunning reflections in the calm water, and illuminates the bright white of the famed mausoleum.

Austrian painter Ludwig Hans Fischer (1848-1915) studied at the Vienna Academy, training in landscape painting, engraving, and etching. In around 1875, he embarked on an extensive tour of Europe, Asia, and Africa, after which he published many of his sketchbooks of his landscape prints from the trip. Fischer was also a prolific author, publishing books on a variety of topics from travel to the practice of painting.

Ensconced in an ornately carved giltwood frame, the canvas is signed ‘Ludwig Hans Fischer’ in the lower left corner. On the reverse of the frame is an old handwritten inscription: 'Ludwig Hans Fischer pinx(it), Ost-Indien: Stadt Agra am Fluss Yumana, Im Hintergrund die Mosche Tadsch-Mahal = Traum in Marmor' (‘Painted by Ludwig Hans Fischer, East India: City of Agra on the Yumana River, in the background the Taj-Mahal Mosque = Dream in Marble').

This exceptional painting showcases one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World with expert skill and delicacy.

Canvas: Height 63cm, width 94cm
Frame: Height 89cm, width 120cm, depth 6cm