OTTO MÄLHY (1869-1953)
Monte Besso (3,667 m - 12, 034ft)
Switzerland
In Monte Besso seen from Sorebois, Val d'Anniviers, Switzerland
oil on canvas ( 88,5 x 72 cm) John Mitchell Gallery, London
The mountain
Mount Besso (3,667 m - 12, 034ft) is a Swiss peak in the Pennine Alps valley. It is located on the edge of the Zinal valley. The name Besso means 'twins' in the dialect of the Val d'Hérens and refers to the twin summits of the mountain.
The mountain is part of the so-called imperial crown , set of mountains that form a horseshoe: Les Diablons, the Bishorn (4,153 m), the Weisshorn (4,505 m), the Schalihorn (3,974 m), the Zinalrothorn (4,221 m), the Trifthorn (3,728 m), the Obergabelhorn (4,062 m), the Mont Durand (3,712 m), the Pointe de Zinal (3,790 m), the Dent Blanche (4,356 m), the Grand Cornier (3,961 m), the Pigne de la Lé (3.396 m), the Garde de Bordon (3.310 m), and at the center of this gigantic parable is Mount Besso (3.667 m).
The first ascent to the summit probably took place in 1862 by JB Epinay and J. Vianin. The normal ascent route to the summit starts from the Cabane du Grand Mountet.
The painter
Otto Mähly was a Swiss artist who was born in 1869 in Basel. Otto Mähly's work has been offered at auction multiple times. Only one artwork sold; this was View of the Rigi, which realized $1,801 USD at Dobiaschofsky in 2017. The artist died in 1953.
2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau