1865–1875 Oil on canvas, 87×68 cm (116×97 cm). Signed lower left "B Havránek". Period, richly decorated gilded Blondel frame with floral and rocaille motifs. The painting represents a fine example of Havránek`s mastery in capturing the so-called forest interior. The central motif is a path that symbolically draws the viewer into the depth of the picture, flanked by majestic trees whose crowns close above, forming a natural vault effect. Havránek does not merely describe a specific locality here but creates an idealised, Romantic vision of the Czech landscape that is quiet, majestic and free of the traces of civilisation. The exceptional format of the work (over 80 cm in height) suggests that it was a prestigious commission, probably intended for a salon interior of the upper social stratum. The work falls within Havránek`s mature and peak period. After early studies under Maximilian Haushofer and travels through the Alps and France, the artist in the 1860s and 1870s focused fully on the Czech landscape. While in his early oeuvre a topographical description and the influence of German Romanticism predominated, in this period the artist arrives at a synthesis of realistic detail and lyrical mood. His renowned "seeing through a magnifying glass" is here elevated by Havránek into an instrument for expressing reverence for the order of nature. Condition A.