Peder Mønsted was one of the leading landscape painters of his time. Born in eastern Denmark, Mønsted received his initial training at the Academy in Copenhagen. Throughout his long career he travelled extensively, through Switzerland, Italy and North Africa. Mønsted's landscapes have been described as the 'romantic, poetic painting of nature.' His style, assimilating academic naturalism with realism, working on a grand, monumental scale while maintaining a remarkable eye for detail, won him great acclaim during his lifetime.