High mountains with chamoises

This painting by Arnold Böcklin alpine landscape in 1849, early in his career before he became famous for mythological and symbolic works like The Isle of the Dead. The small oil painting measures just 33 by 41 centimeters and captures chamois, the sure-footed goat-antelopes native to European mountains, in their rocky habitat.

Böcklin was Swiss-born and spent significant time in the Alps, so mountain subjects came naturally to him. This work shows the influence of Romantic landscape painting with its emphasis on wild nature and dramatic terrain. The chamois appear almost incidental to the sweeping mountain scenery, tiny creatures dwarfed by geological forces.

The painting hangs at the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland. While Böcklin would later turn to more fantastical subjects featuring mythical creatures and death imagery, this early mountain landscape demonstrates his solid technical foundation and connection to his homeland.