Signed and dated 1902, this large oil by Edward Theodore Compton (1849–1921) shows the Lyskamm seen from the Gnifetti Hut on the Italian side of the Monte Rosa massif. A skilled alpinist who climbed more than three hundred peaks in his lifetime – twenty-seven of them first ascents - Compton was one of the most prolific and topographically precise chroniclers of the Alps working in oil, watercolour and pencil.

Born in London, Compton settled with his family in Bavaria in 1872 and painted throughout the Alps until 1914, becoming, alongside Gabriel Loppé, one of the two leading peintre-alpinistes of his generation.

Opportunities to acquire paintings by Compton of such quality and size as this have become increasingly scarce. Compton took his viewpoint on the Italian side of the Monte Rosa Massif, facing west from the Gnifetti Hut with the mighty Lyskamm (4,527 metres) dominating the skyline. More than a century after Compton painted this high-altitude arena of rock and ice, the glaciers have diminished drastically in both volume and reach. A skilled alpinist who climbed more than three hundred peaks in his lifetime, of which twenty-seven were first ascents, Compton was a member of the Austro-German Alpine Club, the Swiss Alpine Club and the Alpine Club in London.