Johann Gottfried Steffan: Master of 19th-Century Swiss Landscape

Johann Gottfried Steffan (1815–1905) was a Swiss landscape painter regarded as one of the most important Swiss landscapists of the 19th century. Born in Wädenswil, he trained first as a lithographer before moving to Munich in 1833 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Under the influence of Carl Rottmann, Steffan turned to realistic landscape painting and became a central figure among Swiss artists working in Munich. He specialized in idealized mountain and Alpine scenes, drawing motifs from the Swiss Alps, the Canton of Glarus, Lake Walen, and later from Berchtesgaden and Ramsau.

His carefully observed yet often romanticized landscapes remain valued examples of the Munich School’s approach to nature. These evocative works showcase the refined observation and romantic spirit of Johann Gottfried Steffan, a leading Swiss landscape painter of the 19th century.

Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau as Seen from Sulwald

A Little Stream near Lake Starnberg

A Stream in the Swiss Alps

A Waterfall in the Bavarian Alps

Alpine Glacier

Alps in Ramsau

Angler near a River in a Mountainous Landscape

At the Foot of the Mittaghorns

Departure for the Alpine Pasture

Evening (Around Glarus)

Inside the Forest

Löntschbach Gorge (Near Glarus)

Mountain Ravine in the Swiss Alps

Murgbach River near the Walensee

Romantic Landscape

The Hintersee, near Berchtesgaden

View from a Wooded Landscape near Brannenburg in the Inn Valley

View of Walensee and Mürtschenstock

View of Walensee near Murg

Woodland Path