Bertalda, von Kühleborn erschreckt

The picture illustrates a scene from the 13th chapter of Friedrich de la Motte-Fouqué's story "Undine", 1811, whose title character is a mermaid who can only acquire a soul through love to a human being. Undine and Huldbrand live married at Ringstetten Castle; they are joined by Bertalda, who used to be inclined towards Huldbrand and is now increasingly contesting Undine's place in the knight's heart. But Undine's grandfather Kühleborn threatens her with his water spirits. The influence of Heinrich Füssli, whose pupil von Holst was at the Royal Academy, is shown here in the direct relationship to his drawing of the same scene (Department of Prints and Drawings, Inv. 1940/0019; Gert Schiff: Johann Heinrich Füssli 1741-1825, 2 vols. (Zurich et al. 1973; = Oeuvrekataloge Schweizer Künstler 1), no. 1564); von Holst enriches the romantic representation in the sense of the English Gothic novel. Source