A BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE FRAMED PRINT OF WILLIAM TELL'S CHAPEL ON THE SHORES OF LAKE LUCERNE IN SWITZERLAND. Measures 12.5" x 16.75" including frame. Excellent condition.

 

 

Local tradition says that a chapel was originallly contructed in 1388 at the place where William Tell is said to have escaped his Austrian captors by pushing their boat back into the lake's stormy waters. Tell's story is central to the Swiss sense of national origins. The chapel became a place of pilgrimage from the 16th century on. The current chapel depicted in this exquisite print was constructed in 1879. It is a popular attraction also because of its four frescos by Ernst Stückelberger of Basle showing scenes from the legend of William Tell. This chapel, and the legend of William Tell, are profiled in the August 2004 issue of "Smithsonian" magazine.