Born into a Hungarian merchant family with no artistic aspirations, Antal Ligeti’s success as a landscape painter is even more impressive. Ligeti travelled through Italy settling for a time in Naples and later Florence, where he met Hungarian painter Karoly Marko, who became his mentor and teacher. After a brief period spent in Munich, he returned to Hungary to fight in the Hungarian revolution of 1848.

Later, while living in Sopron, Ligeti also attempted to make a living from his portrait paintings, but quickly moved to Pest and returned to landscapes when unsuccessful to do so. Count Istvan Karolyi became a fervent patron of Ligeti, allowing him to reside in his palace in Fót and financing various expeditions to Egy...