William Steuerwald (1815-71) began to study drawing and painting with his father, also called William. He went on to become a pupil of Carl Hasenpflug, and to study at the Academy in Düsseldorf under JW Schirmer. He painted many views, like this one, of wintery landsapes with ruins viewed through bleak arched interiors. These works, painted in the tradition of his great teacher, Hasenpflug, are often an imaginative amalgamation of existing ecclesiastical architecture.

A dilapidated castle is seen through a vaulted gateway topped with a pointed arch. To the right of the stone-paved interior, a flight of steps leads to a doorway. The snow covering the scene is broken only by the vibrant green of a single conifer.