SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
The Prussian painter August Wilhelm Leu, born in Münster in 1818 and deceased in Seelisberg in 1897, is primarily associated with landscape painting. A biographical source states that most of his paintings are large-format and depict landscapes of Norway and the Alps: both geographical areas recur in the titles of works listed from different periods. Norwegian compositions dated 1849 include Hardangerfjord im Sonnenlicht, Sognefjord and Norwegian Fjord Landscape. Later, Fjord Landscape with Glacier and Reindeer, dated 1896, continues the presence of Norwegian landscapes in the list of his works.
From 1840 to 1845, Leu studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, notably under the landscape painter Johann Wilhelm Schirmer. He travelled in Norway from 1843 to 1847, then through Switzerland, Tyrol, Upper Bavaria, Styria and Italy. After a stay in Brussels and a return to Düsseldorf, he settled in Berlin in 1882.
His career was also marked by institutional recognition: he was made a Knight of the Order of Leopold of Belgium in 1851 and received an honourable mention at the Paris Exhibition in 1855. He was also a member of the academies of Vienna, Amsterdam and Brussels. The listed works span several decades and depict various Alpine locations: Hohe Göll at Berchtesgaden (1859), View of the Eiger and the Mönch from the Wengerenalp (1865), Oeschinen Lake (1876) and On the Engstlenalp (1893). Landschaft im Gebirge, dated 1875, is documented as a painting measuring 126 × 100 cm.
This profile brings together identity references for August Wilhelm Leu and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
2 references are documented at Dobiaschofsky, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Oil on canvas
Amalfi, 1882
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2022-03-23
Published result : 5195 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
View the lot at the auction house ↗
Oil on canvas
Idyllische Alplandschaft mit Häusern.
Öl auf Leinwand
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
