Adolf Mosengel (1837-85) studied at the Academy in Düsseldorf from 1854 to 1857, where he was a student of the Norwegian painter Hans Fredrik Gude. After a period in Paris, he went to study in Geneva with Alexandre Calame before settling in Hamburg. In 1879 he undertook a journey to the northern Italian lakes. This painting is an example of his preference for romantic Alpine landscapes and the plains of northern Germany.

This is a view of the Lake Lauerz in Switzerland, looking across to a wooded bank where a small chapel with a narrow spire is visible above the trees; just behind is a chalet-like house and an old square, stone tower; on the left two figures in a small boat, draw in fishing nets; in the distance, the far shore with a village near the lake side.