Friedrich Voltz received his first painting lessons from his father, the painter Johann Michael Voltz, and then attended the academy in Munich from 1834. For a number of years landscapes with horses and cattle were his specialty. Between 1843 and 1846 Voltz became acquainted with the work of the animal painters around B.C. Koekkoek during various study trips to Holland. This resulted in painted landscapes of a wide format, decorated with animals - especially cows - in which the emphasis is on atmosphere and light. The idyllic performances with shepherds and cattle on the banks of the Starnberger See became particularly well-known for this.