Blick vom alten Kriegsministerium, auf den Platz Am Hof

The present work Blick vom Alten Kriegsministeriums auf den Platz Am Hof is an important work both artistically and historically. It was painted during Alt's first creative pinnacle from 1839-1848, (the artist having superbly captured the light and the fine detail of each figure in the court that day). Furthermore, it is important historically as the Platz Am Hof in Vienna's Kaiserstadt was, arguably, the centre of Vienna's religious and civil society. It gained notoriety after Pope Pius IV gave an important sermon on the Reforms of Kaiser Joseph II from the balcony of the Jesuit Church in 1782. The predominantly Baroque buildings of the Hof are currently in use by Vienna's Central Fire Brigade, a national bank and the "Kattus-Haus", one of the oldest buildings in Vienna.