Viktor Olgyay Matirko’s etching, “Winter on the Lake Shore (Winter am See)”, 1892

Viktor Olgyay Matirko (aka Olgyai Viktor) (1870–1929)

“Winter on the Lake Shore (Winter am See)” (aka “View of Lake Neusiedl [Silent Night]”; “Winter by the Lake”) 1892, published in 1893 Leipzig by Ernst Arthur Seemann (1829-1904).

Etching printed in a grey-blue ink with plate-tone and a remarque at lower right on buff coloured wove (Japanese?) paper.

Size: (sheet) 20.9 x 28.3 cm; (plate) 18.8 x 26.4 cm; (image borderline) 9.1 x 14.7 cm.

Lettered in plate: (lower left) “Verlag v. E. A. Seemann in Leipig.”; (centre) “WINTER AM SEE.”; (right) “Olgyay-Matirko-Viktor”.

See the description of this print offered by the Hungarian National Gallery: https://en.mng.hu/artworks/view-of-lake-neusiedl-silent-night/)

Károly Lyka’s (1869–1965) journal article, “Viktor Olgyai”, published by The Library of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, offers the following insights about this print: (transl.) “Olgyai achieved his first major success with his graphic art in 1892, when his etching "Silent Night" appeared in Berlin, published by Stiefbold.

The May 1893 issue of Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst reports another etching under the title "Winter am See". The frozen mirror of a part of Lake Fertő [aka Lake Neusiedl—the largest endorheic lake in Central Europe] is bordered by a dark mass of willow trees, and in the middle it allows a narrow view of the lighted bottom of the grey sky. On both sides, in the foreground, a low layer of snow covers the shallow part of the shore, on which a few crows descend in slow flight. Below on the right - - as a remarque - - a snow-covered waterfront, with a farmhouse, a group of aspen trees, a flying flock of crows and thick snow clouds in the sky.” (https://www.mke.hu/lyka/08/001-013-olgyai.htm)

See also Bernd Nowack’s blog post, “The Kunstverein zu Gotha 1898: ‘Summer’ by Hermann Gattiker and ‘Winter by the Lake’ by Viktor Olgyay-Matirko”: http://barrynoa.blogspot.com/2010/11/der-kunstverein-zu-gotha-1898-sommer.html.

Condition: a strong and near faultless impression with full margins as published. Beyond very faint age-toning on the edges, the sheet is in a near pristine condition for its considerable age, with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this very beautiful and finely executed etching with a wide remarque extending the view of an icy landscape—the remarque, however, has the added feature of a house that seems almost buried in snow—for the total cost of AU$231 (currently US$159.95/EUR148.13/GBP132.67 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this amazing etching that is seldom seen on the art market, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.