4/internal/media/dispatcher/36554/fullGirlfriends (Water Serpents I)1904 (minor amendments in 1907)[Gustav Klimt, Gustav Klimt, Galerie H. O. Miethke, Karl Wittgenstein, Unbekannter Besitz, Belvedere, Wien, Galerie L. T. Neumann]Gustav Klimt Watercolour, gouache, pencil, gold, silver, platinum and brass on parchment Klimt’s aquatic beings, described by the artist as “water serpents” or “water nymphs,” seem bewitchingly detached from the real world. In dreamy, flowing movements they float above the ocean floor in the midst of golden seaweed. A glimmering fish stares out at us with a fixed gaze from the lower right of the picture. Influenced by the Symbolist art movement, the artist used these aquatic creatures to symbolize a mystical realm. Klimt created this work on parchment at the height of his Golden Period.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3828/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/4119/fullOld Man on his Death-Bed1900[Gustav Klimt, Österreichische Galerie, Unbekannter Besitz]Gustav KlimtOil on millboard Depictions of the deceased appear frequently in Klimt’s oeuvre, but are usually not shown to the public due to the highly personal nature of the subject matter. In most cases, the people can be clearly identified. Not so in the case of this portrait, where the identity of the old man has yet to be fully determined and continues to puzzle scholars. Klimt often painted such portraits immediately after death, sometimes on the very day of the subject’s passing. This painting is dated 1900, which may indicate the year of the man’s death. The work was probably cropped, as only a fragment of the original composition is visible today.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9957/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/17188/fullRed Sketchbook1898[Gustav Klimt, Sonja Knips, Galerie Christian M. Nebehay, Wien, Unbekannter Besitz, Österreichische Galerie]Gustav KlimtBooklet bound in red leather, drawings and notes in pencil and a black and white photo Gustav Klimt used this red leather-bound sketchbook beginning in 1898 to capture his spontaneous ideas, including sketches for the works "Nuda Veritas" (1899), "Judith I" (1901), "Will-o’-the-Wisp" (1903), "The Philosophy" (1900), and "Jurisprudence" (1903). The booklet turned up in the estate of Sonja Knips, one of Klimt’s most prominent patrons. In her portrait, dated 1898, Knips can be seen holding the sketchbook. The artist probably presented it to her either during or immediately after the portrait sessions. Historical records suggest that Klimt used many red sketchbooks like this one, but almost all were lost in a fire at Emilie Flöge’s apartment in 1945.Drawing arthttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9997/rdf/internal/media/dispatcher/4046/fullLady at the Fireplace1897/1898[Gustav Klimt, Editha und Hermann Bauch, Friedrich Stadler-Wolffersgrün, Unbekannter Besitz, Österreichische Galerie, Friedrich Viktor Stadler-Wolffersgrün]Gustav KlimtOil on canvas The fashionable young woman sitting by the fireplace is depicted by Gustav Klimt as lost in thought. The dim lighting blurs her silhouette, while the warm glow of the fire is only vaguely discernible. The sitter exudes cosmopolitan sophistication, and her dreamy demeanor is consistent with the melancholy portrayal of women prevalent at the time in literature. The circumstances surrounding the painting’s creation remain unknown. However, anonymous portraits of women were a common theme in Klimt’s work. In this work, rather than characterizing a specific individual, the artist sought to capture a particular perspective on life.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4185/rdf