This landscape depicts Schloss Reinhardsbrunn in Friedrichroda, near Gotha, one of the country residences of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The property is visible from across a glassy lake upon which two swans can be seen dabbling in the water. The impressive height of the Inselberg rises immediately behind the building. The pleasure garden can be seen above the slope leading down towards the shore. In 1827, Prince Albert’s father, Duke Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1784-1844), purchased the shell of what had once been a Benedictine Abbey, destroyed in 1552 during the Peasants’ War. The duke, employing Gustavus Eberhard as architect, successfully transformed the ruin into a Gothic hunting seat. In 1829, Prince Albert, his elder brother Ernest and their tutor Christoph Florschütz undertook a lengthy walking tour of the countryside surrounding Schloss Reinhardsbrunn. Some twenty years later (1845), the Prince Consort accompanied his wife on an expedition around the region during which they visited Coburg, the Rosenau and Gotha. The Queen was delighted with Schloss Reinhardsbrunn and expressed her sadness that she was able to spend only one night and not ‘at least a week there’ (Canning papers, Royal Archives). Originally a painter of porcelain, Ferdinand Zschäck enjoyed greater success through his paintings in oils, his landscapes earning him the patronage of Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1818-93). Although it is thought that he hoped to be officially recognised as painter to the ducal court, Zschäck never received the official appointment.