WILLIAM WYLD (LONDON 1806-1889 PARIS)

The present watercolour depicts Dresden’s celebrated skyline, silhouetted against the sunset. The bridge is the sandstone Augustusbrücke, whilst the domed building to the left of centre, is the majestic Lutheran church, the Frauenkirche, built between 1726 and 1743. It was largely destroyed during the Second World War and remained a ruin for the next 50 years until work started on rebuilding the church in 1994 after the reunification of Germany. The tall spire, with open arches in the centre of the watercolour, is the Catholic Cathedral and beyond that is Dresden Castle.