Footbridge with Cross before Trees at a River

Footbridge with Cross before Trees at a River — Caspar David Friedrich. c.1803.

Medium: etching. Dimensions: Sheet: 19.9 x 28 cm (7 13/16 x 11 in.); Image: 8.8 x 14 cm (3 7/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Platemark: 9.2 x 15.2 cm (3 5/8 x 6 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Landscape was Caspar David Friedrich’s preferred subject, and for him spending time outdoors was a religious and transcendent experience. Here, the artist presented the terrain of Northern Germany as expansive and emphasized the smallness of man next to God’s creation. The fine, dense etched lines used to depict the landscape are juxtaposed with the broad strokes that make up the sky and horizon. Friedrich experimented with printmaking for only five years, and this print is one of just a few existing impressions.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.