COSMORAMAS

A UNIQUE SERIES OF PAINTINGS

The so-called cosmoramas were conceived as a supplementary programme to the all-round view of Salzburg and offered visitors of the Sattler Panorama the opportunity of getting to know the world at close quarters. The oldest of them were still painted by Johann Michael Sattler. His son Hubert Sattler (1817-1904) then made the cosmoramas the main focus of his life. They originally had to be viewed through a peep-box, which intensified the suggestive power of the foreign and faraway cities and landscapes even more. Sattler went on long exhibition tours with his cosmoramas, taking him as far away as America. 

TREASURES OF CULTURAL HISTORY

Hubert Sattler’s cosmoramas were produced in meticulous brush technique in the artist’s studio. As a work aid he had a rich supply of usually very detailed sketches collected on his travels – he was almost constantly on the road searching for motifs. Later he also used photographs as source material. His pictures are characterised by strict realism and faithfully detailed precision; their painterly quality is again highly esteemed today.  

EXHIBITIONS

The museum owns more than 130 of these cosmoramas, most of which have not been on display for decades. They are shown in alternating sequence in the Panorama Museum.