Caspar David FriedrichGerman, 1774–1840Ruins of the Oybin
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Ruins of the Oybin” now? State Hermitage Museum, Room 352, Saint Petersburg. Yes, on view now. Checked August 29, 2026.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Open now· until 9:00 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Museum text in Russian
Картина, изображающая юношу в проеме окна готической руины, сегодня является одним из главных образов романтизма – но уже не игры в заманчивое Средневековье, характерное для XIX века, а поисков смысла бытия в гнетущей атмосфере своей эпохи, желания освободиться от ее оков. Полотно находилось в личном собрании Александры Федоровны вместе с несколькими другими полотнами Фридриха – их вы найдете на постоянной экспозиции в Главном штабе. Когда именно картина оказалась в России, неизвестно, но в 1853 году Луиджи Премацци запечатлел её в интерьере кабинета Александры Фёдоровны в Аничковом дворце.
State Hermitage Museum
Details
- Accession number
- ГЭ-1360
In the catalog
Sources
- State Hermitage Museum
- Image: State Hermitage Museum — Museum open access
In the life of Caspar David Friedrich
The whole life1825–1840
The fading of his fame
Over the last fifteen years of his life Friedrich’s reputation steadily declines: as the ideals of early Romanticism go out of fashion he comes to be seen as an eccentric and melancholy figure out of touch with the times, and his patrons gradually fall away. Towards the end he lives in relative poverty and spends long periods, often beginning before sunrise, walking alone through woods and fields.
1835
Money from the Russian royal family and a cure at Teplitz
Soon after his stroke the Russian royal family purchases a number of his earlier works, and the proceeds allow him to travel to Teplitz, in today’s Czech Republic, to recover.
June 1835
His first stroke
Friedrich’s first stroke leaves him with minor limb paralysis and greatly reduces his ability to paint: he can no longer work in oil and is limited to watercolour, sepia and reworking older compositions. His vision remains strong, but his hand has lost its full strength.
