This early Max Pollak intaglio depicted is the staircase leading to the East Gate of the Hradcany Castle complex in his hometown of Prague, Czechoslovakia around 1910. The viewer stands at the bottom of the stairs looking up to the castle in the distance. Just before the stairs make a turn the artist adds a small figure, partly to give a sense of scale to the composition.
The Hradcany Castle complex was built in the 9th century and is one of the largest in the world, around 1870 feet in length and 430 feet in width and contains St. Vitus Cathedral. The 121 steps lead up to the Fürstenberg Gardens which overlooks the city of Prague.