Built in the thirteenth century, the fortified Godesburg Castle is perched on an ancient volcano near the Rhine not far from Bonn, Germany. Lewis, who was born in England, but immigrated to the United States in 1829, settling in Boston, later moved to St. Louis and is perhaps best known for his panoramic study of the Mississippi River (1849-51). The artist later returned to Europe, settling in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1853. This large painting was created during his European period and shows the harvesting of fruit trees in the foreground, with the dramatically perched castle bathed in late afternoon light and view to the river in the distance.
