Sunrise on the Matterhorn, a.1875 Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Albert Bierstadt also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

In case the delivery date needs to be extended in time, or we are overloaded with requests, there will be an email sent to you sharing the new timelines of production and delivery.

TOPofART wants to remind you to keep patient, in order to get you the highest quality, being our mission to fulfill your expectations.

We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting Sunrise on the Matterhorn is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

We offer free shipping as well as paid express transportation services.

After adding your artwork to the shopping cart, you will be able to check the delivery price using the Estimate Shipping and Tax tool.

The paintings we create are only of museum quality. Our academy graduated artists will never allow a compromise in the quality and detail of the ordered painting. TOPofART do not work, and will never allow ourselves to work with low quality studios from the Far East. We are based in Europe, and quality is our highest priority.

Sunrise on the Matterhorn, a.1875 by Albert Bierstadt captures a luminous dawn breaking over Switzerland’s most recognizable peak. The central summit emerges as a proud pinnacle, haloed by drifting clouds that soften the transition between mountain and sky. A rocky slope anchors the composition in the foreground, and to the lower left, tall pines echo the mountain’s vertical ascent. While the ridge dominates the scene, one’s eye continues to roam downward to the intricate details of moss-covered rocks and a gentle waterfall, underscoring the artist’s commitment to natural realism.

In the upper portion of the canvas, Bierstadt’s palette shifts to rose hues and warm golds, suggesting an early sun that bathes the pinnacle in a tender glow. Flecks of lavender and pale blue linger in the atmosphere, hinting at the morning’s cool air. The cloud forms, painted with modulated brushstrokes, hover between opacity and translucence. This careful interplay of color breathes quiet drama into the scene, as the sky seems to both reveal and conceal the formidable peak.

To achieve this fusion of clarity and haze, Bierstadt employs a refined technique that he developed through numerous studies in oil and pencil sketches. The layers of paint, applied with both soft blending and precise detailing, demonstrate his mastery of contrast. He frames the majestic mountain with dark silhouettes of pines, emphasizing the soaring vertical thrust. The foreground’s craggy elements, rendered in sharper definition, guide the viewer’s eye from the solidity of the earth toward the loftier realm of the summit.

Compositionally, the painting balances an imposing natural monument against the quieter domain of valley and woodland. The Matterhorn, wreathed in dawn’s radiance, resonates as the central focus, yet the lower terrain holds its own allure. Bierstadt’s affection for grand landscapes is evident - he had spent considerable time sketching alpine vistas during his travels in Europe beginning in 1856, and he returned to the Swiss mountains repeatedly in subsequent decades. These journeys evidently informed his sense of scale and nuance, as he instilled in his work both the grandeur of high-altitude terrain and the delicate atmosphere of early morning light.

In this scene, Bierstadt’s refined approach reveals a tension between earthbound solidity and the ephemeral nature of the sky. With deliberate brushwork, he unites the tangible foreground with the ethereal mountain peak, creating a measured reflection on nature’s awe-inspiring yet intimate qualities.