OTHER

Severin Nilson (1846–1918) Sweden

Children in a Flower Meadow

signed lower right Severin Nilson
oil on board laid on panel
unframed 25 × 18 cm (9.8 × 7.1 in)
framed 32.5 × 26.5 cm (12.8 × 10.4 in)

Provenance:
Private collection, Sweden

Essay:
This intimate composition by Severin Nilson presents three children moving through a sunlit meadow, animated by the fleeting presence of butterflies among wildflowers. The central figure leans forward in a moment of absorbed concentration, attempting to catch a butterfly with his hat, while the other two children remain slightly withdrawn in the dappled shade. The scene captures a transient instant of childhood play, rendered with immediacy and sensitivity.

Nilson, who was born in Asige in Halland, belongs to a generation of Swedish artists shaped by both academic training and the increasing importance of plein air painting during the later decades of the nineteenth century. After studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, he travelled extensively, particularly to Germany and France, where he absorbed contemporary developments in naturalism and open air painting. His work often combines careful observation with a lyrical treatment of light and atmosphere, placing him within a broader Nordic interpretation of European naturalism.

In the present painting, light plays a central role in structuring the composition. The bright meadow in the foreground is built up with rapid, broken brushstrokes that suggest both the density of grass and the flickering movement of sunlight. The darker wooded background provides a contrasting tonal field, against which the figures emerge with a soft yet distinct presence. This interplay between illumination and shadow not only creates spatial depth but also reinforces the sense of a moment suspended in time.

Nilson’s handling of paint is notably fluid and economical. Rather than detailing each botanical element, he evokes the richness of the meadow through varied strokes and subtle shifts in colour. Small touches of yellow, white, and violet articulate the flowers without interrupting the overall unity of the surface. This painterly approach aligns with contemporary developments in European landscape painting, where the impression of nature took precedence over precise delineation.

The depiction of children engaged in unselfconscious play was a recurring motif in late nineteenth century art, often associated with ideas of innocence, freedom, and harmony with nature. In Nilson’s interpretation, however, the scene avoids sentimentality. The figures are integrated into their surroundings rather than isolated from them, and their gestures feel spontaneous rather than staged. The boy’s forward movement introduces a dynamic element, while the quieter presence of the other two children provides balance and a subtle psychological dimension.

The painting also reflects a broader cultural interest in rural life and seasonal rhythms, themes that held particular resonance in Scandinavian art of the period. Nilson’s sensitivity to the changing effects of light and his attention to everyday moments situate his work within this context, while his refined technique and compositional clarity demonstrate his academic grounding.

Condition report:
The painting is in good condition with clear and well preserved colours. Minor age related wear is visible. The surface retains a lively and fresh painterly quality. The frame is of an earlier date with minor scuffs and a pleasing patina.

Sources:
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, collection database
Svenskt konstnärslexikon, Allhems Förlag
Nordisk familjebok, entries on Severin Nilson
General literature on Scandinavian naturalism and plein air painting in the late nineteenth century

Axel Axelson (1854–1892) Sweden

A Courtyard in Venice, 1879

signed and dated upper left “Venezia Maj 79”
oil on canvas
unframed 59 × 36.5 cm (23.2 × 14.4 in)
framed 70 × 48 cm (27.6 × 18.9 in)

Provenance:
Private collection

Condition report:
Minor surface wear. Craquelure consistent with age. Otherwise in good condition.

Essay:
This painting, signed and dated “Venezia Maj 79”, belongs to the early and formative phase of Axel Axelson’s career and constitutes a rare and significant example of his work from Venice. Executed during his travels in Italy, the work reflects a direct engagement with the city at a moment preceding the more widely recognised influx of Scandinavian painters in the early 1880s.

Axelson was born in Stockholm in 1854 and studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts between 1872 and 1876. Following his academic training, he undertook study journeys across Europe, including Italy, France and Germany. Venice appears in his documented itinerary already in the mid 1870s, and the present work confirms a renewed or continued presence in the city in May 1879. This places Axelson among the earlier Scandinavian artists working there, preceding the better known Venetian campaigns of Carl Skånberg, Wilhelm von Gegerfelt and Georg Pauli, who were active in the city from 1881 onwards.

The composition departs markedly from the grand views traditionally associated with Venice. Instead of monumental architecture or celebrated landmarks, Axelson focuses on a modest courtyard, rendered with a quiet observational intensity. The narrow vertical format reinforces the sense of enclosure, guiding the viewer upward along weathered walls, shuttered windows and irregular architectural details. The surface is handled with a restrained yet sensitive brushwork, combining structural clarity with painterly nuance. Subtle variations in tone suggest the effects of light filtering into the confined space, while the muted palette emphasizes the material presence of plaster, brick and wood.

This attention to overlooked urban spaces aligns Axelson with a broader shift in late nineteenth century painting, in which artists increasingly turned away from idealized or theatrical motifs toward intimate and everyday subjects. Venice at this time functioned as an international artistic centre, attracting painters who sought new approaches to the depiction of the city. In September 1879, only a few months after the date inscribed on this work, James McNeill Whistler arrived in Venice, where he would produce a celebrated series of etchings and pastels focusing on similarly understated motifs. Although no documented contact between Axelson and Whistler has been established, their shared interest in the quieter, less monumental aspects of Venice reflects a parallel artistic sensibility.

Within Axelson’s oeuvre, which is often associated with architectural subjects and watercolours from his travels, this painting stands out as an early and highly resolved oil composition. It demonstrates his capacity to transform a seemingly insignificant motif into a work of considerable atmosphere and structural coherence. The absence of anecdotal detail and the emphasis on spatial relationships lend the painting a contemplative quality, inviting prolonged observation.

Axelson’s career was relatively brief, and his life ended prematurely in Lund in 1892 at the age of thirty seven. His surviving works therefore offer valuable insight into a generation of Scandinavian artists navigating between academic training and the emerging modern sensibility of the late nineteenth century. A Courtyard in Venice is an important testament to this transition, combining disciplined observation with a quietly modern approach to subject and composition.

Bibliography:
Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, entry on Carl Axel Hampus Axelson
Svenskt porträttgalleri, vol. XX, Stockholm 1901
Svenska konstnärer. Biografisk handbok, Malmö
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, artist records
Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, entries on Carl Skånberg, Wilhelm von Gegerfelt, Georg Pauli
Grieve, A., Whistler’s Venice, London 2000
Denker, E., Whistler and His Circle in Venice, Washington 2003

Jon Loman (1885–1937) Sweden

Sittande kvinna i interiör (Seated Woman in an Interior)

signed
oil on canvas
unframed 50.5 × 58 cm (19.9 × 22.8 in)
framed 61 × 68 cm (24 × 26.8 in)

Provenance:
Swedish private collection

Essay:
In Sittande kvinna i interiör, Jon Loman focuses on the poetry of ordinary domestic life, presenting a seated woman absorbed in quiet work at a small table. A lamp forms the emotional and compositional nucleus of the painting, projecting a warm pool of light that gathers together the figure, tabletop objects, and the immediate surrounding space. The woman is shown in profile, her posture slightly bent forward in concentration, creating a calm, inward mood that is reinforced by the subdued environment around her.

The interior is carefully structured through a balance of still life elements and larger geometric forms. To the right, a piano establishes a dark, rectilinear mass that anchors the composition and introduces an implied musical presence, even in silence. Above and beside it, a tall plant extends arcing leaves into the upper register, softening the architecture of the room and adding a natural counter rhythm to the piano’s solidity. The lamplight travels across surfaces in measured transitions, describing the table as a quiet stage while allowing surrounding areas to fall into cooler, deeper tones.

A notable strength of the painting is its controlled chromatic economy. Loman builds the scene from a restrained range of browns, deep greens, muted reds, and smoky greys, then heightens the sense of intimacy through the lamp’s amber highlights. This selective illumination does not simply describe the room. It shapes the viewer’s attention, guiding the eye from the figure’s hands to the lit tabletop, and then outward toward the piano and plant, which expand the motif from a single act of reading or sewing into an entire domestic atmosphere.

Biographical records describe Loman as a Swedish painter and illustrator who trained briefly at Althins målarskola in Stockholm and worked across several genres, including landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and public decorative commissions. His activity in local cultural life is also reflected in illustration work for Salaposten. Within the broader context of early twentieth century Swedish interior painting, this work aligns with a sustained interest in lamplit rooms as sites of psychological quiet, where everyday objects and modest spaces become instruments for tonal subtlety and human presence.

Condition report:
The paint surface appears stable with no recent conservation reported. Colours retain good clarity and saturation, and the work reads well at normal viewing distance. Minor age related wear is consistent with an early twentieth century canvas painting.

Jakob Kulle (1838–1898) Sweden

An Afternoon Nap, 1877

signed and dated
oil on canvas
unframed 61 × 48 cm (24 × 18.9 in)
framed 79 × 67 cm (31.1 × 26.4 in)

Provenance:
Purchased directly from the artist.
Thereafter by descent in the family until we acquired it in 2025.

Essay:
Painted in 1877, An Afternoon Nap belongs to the rich tradition of Swedish nineteenth century genre painting. Jakob Kulle presents an intimate domestic interior in which everyday life unfolds quietly and without theatricality. A young girl has fallen asleep in a chair while working with yarn, her head gently inclined to one side in a moment of complete rest. The stillness of the scene contrasts with the quiet activity of the older woman seated further back in the room, who continues her needlework.

The composition is carefully balanced between the two figures. The sleeping girl occupies the foreground and immediately draws the viewer’s attention. Kulle has rendered her features with remarkable sensitivity, capturing the softness of sleep and the calm expression of a young face at rest. Her traditional clothing introduces strong areas of colour, particularly the deep red skirt and the darker blue apron, which stand out against the more subdued tones of the interior. The folds of the fabric and the delicate white scarf are painted with refined precision, emphasizing the tactile qualities of the textiles.

One of the most striking details in the painting is the ball of yarn that has rolled from the girl’s lap onto the floor. The thread runs loosely from her hands down across the skirt and onto the wooden floorboards where the small white ball rests. Kulle models this object with such care that it appears almost three dimensional. It anchors the foreground and enhances the illusion of depth within the room.

Behind the figures stands a beautifully painted cupboard decorated with floral motifs in deep blue and green tones. Hats and garments hang above it, suggesting the rhythm of daily life within the household. To the right a bed covered with patterned textiles adds warmth and domestic character to the scene. These elements are not merely background decoration. They contribute to the narrative atmosphere of quiet work, rest, and modest rural life.

Jakob Kulle was born in Lund in 1838 and initially trained as a goldsmith before dedicating himself to painting. He later studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. Throughout his career he became known for genre scenes depicting the life of the rural population of southern Sweden, particularly in Skåne. His paintings often combine careful observation with an almost ethnographic interest in interiors, clothing, and handicraft traditions.

This attention to material culture is clearly visible in An Afternoon Nap. The textiles, furniture, and everyday objects are rendered with exceptional care, reflecting the artist’s deep familiarity with the domestic environment he portrays. Kulle’s background in decorative arts likely strengthened his sensitivity to pattern, surface, and colour harmony.

Despite its modest narrative, the painting reveals a high level of technical mastery. The controlled lighting, the careful modelling of faces and fabrics, and the balanced composition demonstrate Kulle’s ability to transform an ordinary moment into a compelling work of art. The scene feels both intimate and authentic, offering a quiet glimpse into the rhythms of nineteenth century domestic life.

Condition report:
The painting underwent comprehensive conservation treatment in 2025. Earlier craquelure was stabilised, areas were carefully retouched, and the old varnish was removed. The painting now presents in very fine condition with clear colours and strong depth. The frame is original. As with many nineteenth century frames, there are historic repairs and minor restorations, but overall it presents well and is ready to hang.

Julia Beck (1853–1935) Sweden

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Rouen, 1912

signed Julia Beck. Rouen 1912. La Cathédrale
watercolour on paper
unframed 56 × 18.5 cm (22 × 7.3 in)
framed 66 × 29 cm (26 × 11.4 in)

Provenance:
Private collection, France

Essay:
This refined watercolour from 1912 presents the soaring interior of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen, rendered with remarkable sensitivity to vertical rhythm and atmospheric depth. Julia Beck has chosen a tall and narrow format that reinforces the architectural thrust of the Gothic nave. The eye is drawn forward along the central axis of the composition, through successive pointed arches that recede into luminous distance. The measured progression of vaults creates a visual cadence, while the cool tonal harmonies of blue, grey, and muted ochre evoke the filtered light of a sacred interior.

Rouen Cathedral stands among the most significant monuments of French Gothic architecture. Its construction began in the twelfth century and continued over several centuries, resulting in a synthesis of early Gothic structure and later flamboyant refinement. The nave, with its ribbed vaulting and pointed arches, embodies the medieval aspiration toward vertical transcendence. Light enters through clerestory windows and stained glass, dissolving stone into atmosphere. The cathedral endured periods of damage and restoration, yet it retained its status as a spiritual and artistic landmark, particularly in the nineteenth century when renewed historical interest in Gothic architecture flourished.

Beck’s interpretation of the interior differs from the archaeological precision favored by some contemporaries. Rather than delineating every architectural detail, she employs fluid washes and translucent layering to suggest rather than describe. The stone surfaces are softened, almost dematerialized. The architectural mass dissolves into veils of color, and the distant stained glass emerges as a subtle accent of red within a cool chromatic field. The effect is contemplative and immersive. The viewer does not stand outside the architecture but is enveloped by it.

Julia Beck was born in Stockholm in 1853 and trained at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts before relocating to Paris in the 1880s. In the French capital she entered a vibrant artistic milieu at a time when women artists were gradually claiming greater professional visibility. She studied independently and absorbed influences from contemporary French landscape painting. Although often associated with Scandinavian expatriate circles, Beck established herself within a broader Parisian context. She exhibited regularly and developed a reputation for atmospheric landscapes characterized by tonal subtlety and poetic restraint.

Her years in France were decisive. Beck settled for long periods in Grez-sur-Loing, a village south of Paris that attracted Nordic and international artists. There she cultivated a mode of painting attentive to light, humidity, and shifting seasonal conditions. The present work, executed in Rouen, reflects this sustained engagement with French motifs and environments. Yet it also reveals an expansion of her subject matter. Instead of the riverbanks and forest clearings for which she is often known, Beck turns here toward monumental architecture. Even so, she approaches the cathedral not as an architectural surveyor but as a painter of atmosphere.

The pronounced depth of the composition is central to its expressive power. The narrowing perspective of the arches leads the viewer toward a distant, illuminated terminus. This recession is not merely spatial but psychological. The long corridor of vaults suggests introspection and spiritual passage. Beck’s restrained palette intensifies this inward quality. The cool blues and greys create a hushed tonality, while the faint warmth of the stone floor anchors the composition. The painting invites quiet contemplation and conveys the meditative stillness of an empty sacred space.

In 1912, when this work was executed, Beck was an established artist with decades of experience in France. Her handling of watercolour demonstrates assurance and economy. Transparent washes allow the white of the paper to function as light itself. The structural clarity of the Gothic arches is maintained without rigidity, and the fluidity of the medium enhances the sense of air circulating within the nave. The result is a work that balances architectural structure with painterly freedom.

Condition report:
The sheet appears in good overall condition. The paper shows a natural, even toning consistent with age. Minor undulations are visible, particularly along the margins, and there are faint areas of surface wear. The pigments remain fresh with well preserved transparency. No significant tears or losses are apparent.

Peter Ilsted (1861–1933) Denmark

Stadsvy I skymningsljus (City View in Twilight), 1883

dated lower right 8/12 83
oil on panel
unframed 15 × 20 cm (5.9 × 7.9 in)
framed 24.5 x 29.5 cm (9.6 x 11.6 in)
handcrafted frame by Stockholms Förgyllning & Bildhuggeri included

Provenance:
The artist’s family

Condition report
The work was conserved in 2026 by Sonia Leon. It is in very good condition, with clear and vibrant colours. The paint surface appears stable and coherent. 

Essay
Dated 8 December 1883, Stadsvy i skymningsljus presents a winter city scene distilled to atmosphere and light. The small scale of the panel and the immediacy of the inscription suggest that the painting was executed rapidly, most likely on site, in direct response to a specific evening’s conditions. The work captures that fleeting moment when daylight recedes and artificial illumination begins to define the urban space.

The composition is anchored by the dark silhouette of a building rising at the centre. Its steep roof and tower form a solid mass against the deep blue of the winter sky. The architecture is not described in detail but suggested through vigorous, directional brushwork. Ilsted allows the surface to remain visibly animated, the strokes moving across the panel in sweeping arcs that convey both wind in the air and the painter’s swift execution. The building stands as a weight of shadow, a quiet presence within the luminous dusk.

In the foreground, an elegant couple moves hand in hand across the street. Their forms are simplified almost to silhouettes, yet their gesture is unmistakably intimate. Nearby, a horse stands harnessed to a carriage that waits in stillness. These elements situate the scene within the rhythm of late nineteenth century urban life. The absence of motion reinforces the sense of cold. One feels that sound is muffled, that the air is sharp. The ground appears lightly covered in snow or frost, rendered through scumbled passages of pale paint that catch and reflect the glow of the lamps.

The street lamps are among the most compelling features of the painting. Their warm gaslight burns in concentrated centres of orange and yellow, surrounded by soft halos that dissolve into the surrounding blue grey atmosphere. Ilsted does not simply depict the lamps as objects. He studies their optical effect. The warm light diffuses into the cold air, tinting it and subtly modifying the surrounding darkness. The nearest lamp at the right stands clearly defined, while others recede into space, establishing depth through diminishing intensity. The repetition of these glowing points structures the entire composition.

The probable setting is Copenhagen, where gas street lighting had become a defining element of the urban environment during the nineteenth century. By the 1880s, the illuminated street represented both modernity and sociability. In this painting, however, modern infrastructure is transformed into poetry. The lamps do not proclaim technological progress. They create an atmosphere in which shadow and warmth coexist.

Ilsted’s handling of paint is notably impressionistic. The surface remains lively and textured, with visible strokes that register speed and decisiveness. Rather than constructing form through precise drawing, he builds the scene through tonal relationships. Cool blues and violets dominate the sky and architecture, while the lamps introduce restrained but intense warmth. This chromatic contrast generates the emotional core of the image. The viewer senses the winter chill precisely because the light appears fragile and precious.

Although Peter Ilsted later became renowned for his refined interiors and his mastery of mezzotint printmaking, this early urban panel reveals the foundations of his artistic language. Trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1878 to 1884, Ilsted began his career within a realist tradition, attentive to everyday life. Even here, at a formative stage, his sensitivity to light and tonal harmony is evident. The painting demonstrates an awareness that atmosphere can carry as much meaning as narrative detail.

The inscribed date reinforces the immediacy of the work. It anchors the painting to a specific winter evening, transforming it from a generalised city view into a lived moment. The viewer encounters not an idealised twilight but the particular dusk of 8 December 1883, when gaslight met frost and shadow in the streets of a northern capital.

Gustaf Tenggren (1896–1970) Sweden

Trollkarlens urnyckel (The Sorcerer’s Clockwork Key), 1918

signed and dated lower right “G. Tenggren 1918”
watercolour on paper
unframed 25 × 23 cm (9.8 × 9.1 in)
framed 36 x 34 cm (14.17 x 13.4 in)
Carved oak frame by Christer Björkman, Stockholms Förgyllning & Bildhuggeri, Stockholm.

Provenance:
Private collection, Sweden.

Condition report:
Overall very good condition. The sheet presents gentle overall toning consistent with age. No major tears, losses, or visible restorations are apparent. 

Essay:
Executed in 1918, this watercolour belongs to the formative Swedish period of Gustaf Tenggren’s career, at the precise moment when he consolidated his position as one of the most important interpreters of Nordic fairy tale imagery in the early twentieth century. Trained in Gothenburg at Slöjdföreningens school and at Valand, Tenggren combined academic draughtsmanship with a refined decorative sensibility, qualities that proved ideally suited to book illustration. His command of line, tonal restraint, and atmospheric composition allowed him to construct images that function both narratively and autonomously.

In 1917 Tenggren succeeded John Bauer as illustrator of the celebrated Christmas annual Bland tomtar och troll, a publication that had already become central to Swedish visual folklore culture. From 1918 onward he assumed a defining role in shaping its pictorial language. Whereas Bauer’s trolls often inhabit a mythic grandeur rooted in national romanticism, Tenggren introduced a subtler psychological dimension. His figures are frequently introspective, their gestures inward and restrained, their environments enveloping rather than theatrical.

The present composition, likely conceived as an alternative illustration for Trollkarlens urnyckel by Anna Wahlenberg, embodies this shift. The sorcerer is shown alone, kneeling or seated close to the forest floor, absorbed in violin playing. Mushrooms, fallen leaves, and subdued woodland tones enclose him within an intimate sphere. The elongated pale arms and sharply defined profile emerge from a muted ground of earth browns and soft greens. The modelling is delicate and continuous, the transitions in tone understated. Rather than depicting a dramatic episode from the tale, Tenggren presents the magician in a contemplative state, prior to his encounter with Prince Kaladin and before the demonstrations of the enchanted key.

This interpretative approach is characteristic of Tenggren’s early maturity. Instead of illustrating a single narrative climax, he visualizes atmosphere and interiority. The violin functions symbolically. Music, like magic, orders time and alters perception. In a story concerned with the manipulation of life’s duration, the image of a solitary musician becomes a metaphor for rhythm, control, and unseen power. The sorcerer does not perform for an audience; he inhabits his own enchantment. The viewer becomes witness rather than participant.

The year 1918 is significant within Tenggren’s biography. It marks the culmination of his Swedish breakthrough before his emigration to the United States in 1920. In America he would later work as a leading illustrator and concept artist, most notably at Walt Disney Studios between 1936 and 1939, contributing to the visual development of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and later productions including Pinocchio and Bambi. The atmospheric forests and monumental architectural spaces of those films retain echoes of his Scandinavian origins. 

Anders Loman (1879–1953, Swedish)

Evening Street Scene with Carriage and Gas Lamps, 1912

Signed and dated lower right
Oil on canvas
Unframed 35 × 28 cm (13.8 × 11 in); framed 45 × 38.5 cm (17.7 × 15.2 in)

Provenance: A Swedish private collection

Condition Report: Recently conserved by a professional art conservator. Colors remain strong and vibrant. Craquelure is present throughout the surface, consistent with the painting’s age. Presented in a newly made gilt frame.

Essay
This atmospheric painting by Anders Loman captures a quiet city street bathed in the subtle glow of gaslight on a winter evening.A horse-drawn carriage disappears into the distance, its rear lamps casting soft reflections onto the wet cobblestones. Dimly lit buildings flank the composition, while the blue dusk sky looms overhead. Loman’s palette of deep blues, warm ambers, and violet shadows evokes the stillness of nightfall, creating a cinematic sense of narrative suspense and intimacy.

The scene is built from contrasts, between light and dark, movement and stillness, isolation and suggestion. The figures in the background are rendered in shadow, barely distinguishable, heightening the quiet drama of urban life at night. The brushwork is confident and painterly, with softened contours and expressive impasto used in the illumination around the streetlamps. This depiction of city life avoids grandiosity, focusing instead on the understated beauty of everyday urban solitude.

Anders Loman was a Swedish painter born in 1879 who worked in a variety of genres, including portraiture, interior scenes, and landscape, but he is perhaps most compelling when portraying the human presence within atmospheric environments. Though less widely known than some of his contemporaries, Loman developed a distinctive voice grounded in tonal harmony and observational nuance. His night scenes in particular reveal a subtle sensitivity to light and shadow, suggesting affinities with both Scandinavian Naturalism and early modern urban Impressionism. This work, dated 1912, reflects an artist at ease with the quiet poetry of the city after dark, a theme rarely explored with such intimacy and restraint.

Johan Johansson (1879–1951, Sweden)

Bird of Prey in a Snow-Covered Mountain Landscape, 1902

signed and dated lower right
watercolour, gouache and ink on paper
unframed 93 × 62 cm (36.6 × 24.4 in)
framed 110 × 79 cm (43.3 × 31.1 in)

Provenance:
Executed in 1902 during Johansson’s studies under Professor Anton Seder at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Strasbourg; A private collection, Sweden; Skånes Auktionsverk, 31 may 2014, lot 94; A private collection Denmark until we acquired it in 2025. 

Condition Report:
Very good overall condition. Paper slightly yellowed with age, as expected. Presented in its original oak veneer frame. For international shipping, the work will be delivered with plexiglass for safety. We recommend replacing with UV-protective museum glass upon arrival.

Essay:
This dramatic painting from 1902 was painted by Johan Johansson, a Swedish artist whose early twentieth-century career encompassed illustration, fine art, and decorative design. Born in 1879 in Sweden, Johansson pursued his studies during a period of artistic transformation in Europe, with the Jugendstil and Arts and Crafts movements challenging academic tradition through a focus on natural forms, stylization, and integration of art with everyday life. His formative education took place at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Strasbourg between 1901 and 1903, where he studied under the renowned designer and educator Anton Seder. The school, known for its synthesis of fine and applied arts, cultivated a generation of artists who bridged illustration, graphic design, and narrative painting.

Johansson’s time in Strasbourg deeply shaped his artistic outlook. He mastered ink and water-based media, developing a refined ability to combine linear precision with atmospheric colour. His works from this period reveal a fascination with dramatic compositions, animal studies, and romanticized landscapes—often rendered with a theatrical flair and a subtle symbolism. After completing his studies, Johansson travelled in Germany and Switzerland, absorbing influences from German romantic painting, Art Nouveau illustration, and the emerging Symbolist aesthetics of Central Europe.

The present work exemplifies Johansson’s skill in combining observation with imagination. It depicts a golden eagle landing on a snow-covered alpine rock, a smaller bird clutched in its talons. With wings outstretched and body poised in mid-motion, the eagle dominates the scene with a sense of muscular power and unyielding focus. The snowy conifers and distant mountains provide a dramatic backdrop, painted with broad washes and crisp ink outlines. The contrast between the warm, earthy tones of the eagle and the cool blue shadows of the snow lends the image both realism and expressive force.

Stylistically, the work recalls both naturalist wildlife studies and the poster-like boldness of Jugendstil illustration. Johansson’s approach is not merely decorative, however—it is psychological. The eagle, a symbol of strength and isolation, may reflect a deeper narrative about survival, dominance, or solitude. Such symbolism was often explored by artists of the Jugendstil era, who merged natural motifs with metaphorical meaning.

Although less widely known today, Johansson had a modest but consistent artistic career in Sweden following his return. He contributed to illustrated journals and book design and remained active as a painter of Nordic nature, often choosing motifs that reflected the sublime character of the Scandinavian landscape. His technical foundation and international exposure set him apart from many contemporaries, and this early work offers insight into the ambitions of a young artist steeped in the visual currents of turn-of-the-century Europe.

Victor Lagerström (1864–1948) Sweden

Portrait of an Elderly Man, 1913

oil on canvas
signed “V.L” and dated “13” 
unframed: 24.5 × 22 cm (9.65 × 8.66 in)
framed: 42 × 39 cm (16.54 × 15.35 in)

Essay
Portrait of an Elderly Man presents a seated figure absorbed in quiet contemplation. Leaning slightly forward, he rests a hat upon his knee, his hands folded calmly over its crown. The composition centers almost exclusively on the man, shown at approximately three-quarter length against a dark, unadorned background. Lagerström renders the weathered features, grey hair, and downcast gaze with measured sensitivity, giving the scene an introspective gravity. The absence of extraneous detail heightens the sense of stillness, allowing the viewer to focus entirely on the sitter’s inward-facing moment.

Lagerström employs a subdued, earthy palette dominated by browns, ochres, and muted greys. A gentle, diffused light models the man’s face and hands, while his dark coat recedes into shadow. This restrained chiaroscuro enhances the psychological focus of the composition, lending depth and volume without calling attention to the brushwork. The surface handling is modest and naturalistic, suggesting the textures of coarse fabric and the worn felt of the hat without excessive detail. The overall effect is one of quiet dignity and emotional reserve.

The painting reflects Lagerström’s broader interest in atmospheric scenes drawn from everyday life. Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, he continued his artistic development during periods of study and travel in France, Germany, and Italy. Early in his career he worked as an illustrator for Stockholms-Tidningen and Svenska Dagbladetbefore turning increasingly toward book art and design, all the while maintaining a steady output of paintings. His work often depicts mood-laden cityscapes of Stockholm and Visby, and scenes of ordinary life in Skåne. The present portrait—an intimate study of an anonymous sitter accords with this aspect of his oeuvre, marked by an understated yet perceptive engagement with human character.

Lagerström remained active in Swedish artistic circles throughout his life, including many years as secretary of the Artists’ Club in Stockholm. His paintings are represented in the collection of the Nationalmuseum.

Follower of Gerard Seghers (1591-1651)

Christ at the Column

oil on wood panel
c. 1700s
unframed 19.5 × 14 cm

Provenance:
Originally in the collection of Dr. Axel Munthe (1857–1949), the renowned Swedish physician and author celebrated for his philanthropic work and for founding Villa San Michele on the island of Capri. In the late 19th century, Munthe presented the painting as a personal gift to his close friend Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke (1865–1947), a prominent Swedish artist and patron of the arts. The painting remained in Prince Eugen’s private collection until he, in turn, entrusted it to Dr. Gustaf Lindgren (1903–1989), who served as curator of the Prince’s art collection from 1938 to 1948. Lindgren subsequently became the first Director General of Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde, a position he held until 1970.

Condition: Very good, restored in 2023 by Sonia Leon, Stockholm
Framed in handmade oak frame by Christer Björkman, 2023.

Essay:
This small yet striking oil painting on panel presents a solitary image of the scourged Christ, bound with his hands behind his back, his figure isolated against a dark, undefined background. His pale, sinewy body bears numerous wounds from the flagellation, from which blood runs in delicate but insistent streams, trailing down his torso and legs to the ground below. The column to which Christ would traditionally be tied is absent here, allowing the viewer's focus to rest entirely on the emotional weight of the figure itself. The composition, heightened by dramatic lighting, conveys both the physical and spiritual torment of the Passion with poignant intensity.

The subject—Christ at the Column—derives from the episode of the Flagellation, one of the most emotionally resonant scenes in the Passion narrative. Frequently represented in both public and private devotional imagery, this moment captures the suffering of Christ at the hands of Roman soldiers, as described in the Gospels. In the context of Catholic devotion, the scene has long served as an instrument of contemplation, representing the redemptive suffering of Christ and inviting empathetic meditation on human sin and divine sacrifice.

The painting is attributed to a follower of the Flemish Baroque master Gerard Seghers (1591–1651), whose career bridged the artistic currents of Caravaggio’s tenebrism and the coloristic refinement of Rubens. Seghers’s composition of Christ at the Column, likely painted in the 1620s, became widely known through a powerful engraving by Lucas Vorsterman the Elder. That print helped to circulate Seghers’s emotionally charged vision, inspiring a number of interpretations and copies by artists in his circle.

This particular version appears to be derived not from the original painting but from Vorsterman’s engraving, which likewise omits the architectural element of the column in favor of a stark, devotional focus on the bound figure of Christ. A closely related copy of similar dimensions on copper, held in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tournai, shares this compositional simplification. The absence of the column, together with the panel’s intimate scale and austere backdrop, intensifies the spiritual directness of the image.

Following a recent conservation by Sonia Leon in 2023, the painting is now preserved in good condition and housed in a bespoke oak frame handcrafted by Swedish frame maker Christer Björkman. Its compact size and contemplative subject mark it as a refined object of private devotion, while its lineage and craftsmanship underscore its cultural and historical significance.

Cuzco (Cusco) School, 19th century, Peru

Ángel Arcabucero (Angel with Arquebus)

oil on canvas
unframed 58 × 41 cm (22.8 × 16.1 in)
framed 66 × 49 cm (26.0 × 19.3 in)

Provenance:
Acquired in Peru in 1986 by the previous owner.

Essay:
This painting portrays a celestial figure identified as an ángel arcabucero – literally an “arquebus-bearing angel,” shown as an archangel wielding an early firearm (arquebus) instead of the traditional sword. The angel is richly attired in the fashion of an Andean noble or Spanish aristocrat, with an ornate embroidered coat, lace collar, and billowing sleeves, in keeping with the distinctive iconography of these militaristic angels. Such ángeles arcabuceros emerged in the late 17th century in colonial Peru and were especially popular in Cuzco School painting, replacing the sword of Catholic warrior-angels with a gun to signify the heavenly army’s power in a modern guise. The graceful figure, dressed as a nobleman yet serving a divine role, underscores the fusion of earthly authority and celestial protection – a sartorial and symbolic innovation unique to the Andean region’s religious art. This iconography, found only in Spanish colonial territories, resonated with local believers and visually confirmed the angel’s identity as a heavenly soldier guarding the faithful, his delicate hands cradling a long-barreled arquebus as if it were a sacred instrument.

The Ángel Arcabucero exemplifies the visual hallmarks of the Cuzco School, a major Peruvian painting tradition. The composition favors elegant flatness and frontal presentation over Renaissance depth and linear perspective are largely abandoned in favor of flattened forms and stylized poses. A vibrant, saturated color palette dominates the scene, with rich reds, yellows, blues, and earth tones that enliven the angel’s attire and background. The angel’s clothing is embellished with lavish gold ornamentation in the form of fine patterning and gilded highlights (a technique known as brocateado), a signature of Cusqueño paintings that imparts a jeweled splendor to the figure’s costume. Indeed, the artist has painstakingly rendered an intricate gold filigree pattern across the angel’s overcoat and wings, reflecting the Cuzco School’s renowned use of gold leaf to simulate rich embroidery and add divine radiance. The figure’s face is pale with softly rounded features and delicate crimson cheeks which is typical of Cusco School saints and angels, conveying an idealized serenity. Every element of the painting’s style, from the bright hues and ornamental detailing to the dignified yet slightly naive rendering of anatomy, is characteristic of the Cuzco School’s blend of local craftsmanship and Baroque exuberance. As is common for Cuzco School works, the subject is entirely religious; secular context is minimal, keeping the viewer’s focus on the angelic figure as a devotional image. The overall effect is one of opulent decorativeness combined with spiritual symbolism, a visual language that was immediately recognizable to colonial-era viewers in the Andes.

The Cuzco School (Escuela Cusqueña) was one of the most significant painting schools in colonial Latin America, and this Ángel Arcabucero reflects its cultural and artistic legacy. Founded in the late 17th century after Indigenous Andean painters in Cuzco won autonomy from Spanish guild restrictions, the school developed an independent artistic tradition that departed from strictly European models. Cuzco School artists blended European Baroque techniques and Catholic iconography with Indigenous aesthetics and symbols, creating a distinctly mestizo (mixed) art style. In this painting, for example, European elements – the angelic subject and Baroque attire – coexist with local influences, such as the use of flat spatial design and lavish patterning reminiscent of Andean textile arts. Such fusion of European and Indigenous artistic elements was central to the Cuzco School’s identity, allowing “a part of the indigenous mentality [to] fit in the Western scheme” of religious art. The result was a unique visual language in which Catholic saints, Madonnas, and angels were depicted in a manner that resonated deeply with Andean viewers’ own cultural context.

As a movement, the Cuzco School is celebrated for its innovation and reach in colonial art history. It focused almost exclusively on sacred subjects, supplying countless paintings of angels, Virgins, and saints to churches and devout patrons throughout the Andes. By the 18th century, Cuzco School works (including many ángeles arcabuceros) were in high demand across the Viceroyalty of Peru and beyond – shipped to cities in present-day Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and even sought by collectors overseas. The school’s success was fueled by large workshops of mostly Indigenous and mestizo painters, whose collaborative output made Cusco a thriving artistic center. The Angel with Arquebus became one of the distinctive motifs of this school, encapsulating its aesthetic of splendid attire, divine militancy, and cultural hybridity. Even into the 19th century as seen in this painting, artists continued to reproduce and reinvent these beloved themes, underscoring the longevity of the Cuzco School style in Peru’s visual culture.

Paul Ehrenberg (1876–1949)

Sleeping Boy, 1895

Red chalk on paper
sheet 38 × 52 cm (14.96 × 20.47 inches)
framed 61 × 74 cm (24.02 × 29.13 inches)
signed and dated twice

Essay:
This red chalk drawing, executed in 1895, depicts a reclining male youth from two different viewpoints on a single sheet. Each pose presents the same model in a sleeping posture, rendered with delicate line work and subtle shading. The warm, rust-toned chalk – a medium traditionally favored for academic figure studies, lends the image a soft tonal quality and emphasizes the contours of the figure. Ehrenberg’s precise yet fluid draftsmanship is evident in the careful definition of the young man’s form and the naturalistic play of light across his body. Notably, the work is signed and dated twice, once below each figure, an unusual practice that suggests the artist considered each view a finished study in its own right.

Executed in 1895, when Ehrenberg was only nineteen years old, this study likely dates from his period of academic training at the Dresden Art Academy. As he was studying under instructors such as Leon Pohle and Friedrich Preller the Younger during this time, their influence is evident in the drawing’s solid academic technique and its emphasis on anatomical accuracy. Ehrenberg was born into an artistic family, the son of history painter Carl Ehrenberg, which likely contributed to his strong foundational drawing skills. Although he later became known for Impressionist portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and animal paintings, this early figure study highlights his classical training and keen observation of the human form. Viewed in the context of Ehrenberg’s oeuvre, Sleeping Boy serves as an intimate document of the artist’s formative years and his grounding in 19th-century academic art practice.

Emma Ekwall (1838-1925) Sweden

Portrait of a Young Boy Seen from Behind

oil on canvas mounted on board
signed E.E.
unframed 24.5 x 31 cm (9 ⅝ × 12 ¼ in)
framed 35 × 41 cm (13 ¾ × 16 ⅛ in)

This intimate oil painting presents a young boy viewed from a three-quarter rear angle, caught in a quiet, reflective moment. The child’s back is turned gently toward the viewer, rendered in warm earth tones with soft, textured brushwork. Emma Ekwall’s attention to detail from the tousled hair and rustic clothing to the delicate fall of light across the figure evokes a serene atmosphere and a deep sense of tenderness. The boy’s posture, turned away, invites curiosity: What has caught his attention? What thoughts fill his silence? The scene captures the timeless innocence of childhood with grace and restraint.

Emma Ekwall – A Pioneering Academic Artist

Emma Amalia Ekwall (1838–1925) was a groundbreaking figure in Swedish art. In 1871, she became the first woman to receive the Royal Medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, a remarkable milestone during a time when female artists were rare in academic circles. Her training continued in Munich and Leipzig, where she absorbed European realist traditions before establishing herself in Sweden as a professional artist.

Ekwall became especially known for her portrayals of children, domestic scenes, and everyday quietude, all rendered with technical precision and emotional warmth. Her success helped pave the way for future generations of women artists in Scandinavia. She is today recognized not only for her artistic quality, but also for her contribution to art history as a female pioneer in the academic sphere.

Ekwall’s painting style merges academic realism with a personal, sentimental touch. The handling of light, form, and fabric in this painting reflects her formal training, while the subject matter – a quiet, solitary child – reflects her innate sensitivity to the inner worlds of her figures.

The muted palette and absence of distracting detail help center the composition entirely on the boy. His slumped shoulders and calm bearing convey a gentle introspection. The viewer is made to feel present but invisible, sharing a silent moment without intruding on it. This restrained narrative and emotional resonance are hallmarks of Ekwall’s finest works.

Gustaf Tenggren (1896-1970) 

The Horn (1919)

signed Tenggren.
Ink, watercolor and gouache on cardboard
unframed 29.5 x 30 cm (11 ⅝ x 11 ¾ in)
framed 41.5 x 42 cm (16 ⅜ x 16 ½ in)
hand crafted frame by Christer Björkman is included.

Essay:
An old man presents a ceremonial horn to a young boy in this evocative 1919 watercolor by Gustaf Tenggren., Rendered in pen-and-ink, watercolor, and gouache on board, the scene reflects the artist’s early fascination with Nordic folklore and fairy-tale imagery. The elderly figure, clad in rustic attire, stoops to hand the curved horn to the wide-eyed child, creating a poignant moment of intergenerational exchange. The composition is rich in narrative detail and gentle earth tones, hallmarks of Tenggren’s illustrations during his Swedish period.

In The Horn, Tenggren’s delicate linework and muted, earthy colors capture the moody charm of Scandinavian folklore illustration. His fairy-tale style, influenced by artists like Arthur Rackham, was honed in Sweden where he succeeded the legendary John Bauer as illustrator for the popular annual Bland Tomtar och Troll (“Among Gnomes and Trolls”). Although not tied to a specific published tale, this standalone scene embodies the spirit of that era’s fairy tales, a touching exchange that feels both intimate and magical.

From Folklore to Disney Magic
Just one year after completing The Horn, the 23-year-old Gustaf Tenggren (1896–1970) emigrated from Sweden to the United States to further his career. There he swiftly found success as an illustrator in New York, and by the late 1930s he had become a key figure in Walt Disney’s studio during the Golden Age of American animation. Tenggren served as a chief concept illustrator at Disney, contributing to the look and feel of classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937) and Pinocchio (1940). He brought a distinctly European storybook aesthetic to these films. For example, the quaint village architecture and carved wooden details in Pinocchio owe much to Tenggren’s creative vision and childhood memories of Scandinavian craftsmanship. The same love of whimsical detail and atmosphere is evident in The Horn, which in retrospect can be seen as foreshadowing the enchanting visual style Tenggren later lent to Disney’s fairy-tale worlds.

Provenance and Details
According to a handwritten inscription on the verso, this painting was donated to “S.S.W:s Höstbazar 1919” (S.S.W.’s Autumn Bazaar of 1919) in the town of Vadstena shortly after it was made. This early provenance suggests The Horn was part of a charity exhibition or sale in 1919.

Einar Norelius (1900–1985) Sweden

Rowing Figure in an Eerie Landscape, 1929

watercolor and ink on paper
signed and dated E.NORELIUS 29
22 x 22 cm (8.7 x 8.7 in.)
31 x 31 cm (12.2 x 12.2 in.) (framed)

Essay:
Rowing Figure in an Eerie Landscape is a 1929 watercolor-and-ink illustration by Swedish artist Einar Norelius. Created for the 22nd issue of Bland tomtar och troll, the cherished annual fairy-tale collection published each Christmas since 1907. This artwork captures an eerie yet dreamlike moment: a figure rows across dark, still waters under the twisted branches of a stark, leafless tree. The delicate use of ink and watercolor evokes an atmosphere of quiet magic and suspense, drawing viewers into a world between fable and shadow.

About the Artist
Einar Norelius was born in 1900 in Falun, Sweden, into a middle-class family. Initially on a path to study shipbuilding in Stockholm, he soon turned to art instead, beginning his studies in 1923 under Carl Wilhelmson. The following year, after winning a national poster competition, he launched a successful career in illustration, designing book covers and film posters.

His lifelong connection to fairy-tale illustration began in 1927, when he was invited to contribute to Bland tomtar och troll. He would go on to illustrate this beloved series for an extraordinary 53 years, becoming one of its most iconic visual voices. Unlike the moody and mysterious trolls of his predecessor John Bauer, Norelius’s fairy-tale creatures are brimming with humor and vitality. His robust, joyful forms added a tactile energy to the stories, while still preserving the complexity and depth of the Nordic folk tradition.

Norelius also illustrated major collections such as Svenska folksagor (Swedish Folk Tales), and was the visual storyteller behind beloved Swedish children’s characters like Pelle Svanslös, Kalle Stropp, and Grodan Boll. In addition to his work as an artist, he championed artists’ rights in Sweden, serving as chairman of the Swedish Artists’ Association (KRO) and founding the organization Svenska Tecknare.

Rowing Figure in an Eerie Landscape beautifully reflects Norelius’s unique blend of whimsy and mystery. With quiet intensity and visual charm, this illustration transports viewers into a Nordic dreamscape shaped by folklore, humor, and timeless storytelling.

Ella Waldenström (1863–1955) Sweden

A Sewing Woman, 1900

watercolor on paper
signed and dated E.W 23/2 1900 
visible image 21 x 12 cm (8 ¼ x 4 ¾ in.)
framed 29 x 20 cm (11 ½ x 7 ¾ in.)

Provenance:
The artist's family.

Essay:
Ella Waldenström was a Swedish artist and educator who belonged to the generation of female artists emerging around the turn of the 20th century, when the art world was gradually opening up to women. Trained at the Stockholm Technical School (Konstfack) and employed as a drawing teacher, she balanced her teaching career with an active artistic practice. Working in the tradition of contemporaries like Anna Sahlström, Ellen Trotzig, Eva Bonnier, and Hanna Hirsch-Pauli, Waldenström drew inspiration from nature and the intimate sphere of home – subjects once considered peripheral but which artists of her circle imbued with new significance.

Waldenström is best known for her delicate floral still lifes, painted with a refined sense of color and light that breathe tranquil poetry. At the same time, her oeuvre also encompasses quiet interior scenes of everyday life – simple domestic moments rendered with the same concentrated presence and attention to detail. In this respect, Waldenström’s gentle, light-filled interiors share a kinship with Carl Larsson’s celebrated watercolors of home: both artists capture a warm, intimate atmosphere and the poetry of quotidian moments, though Waldenström’s approach remains distinctly her own.

The watercolor A Sewing Woman (1900) exemplifies Waldenström’s intimate domestic scenes. This small composition (measuring only 21 × 12 cm) depicts a woman seated in a sunlit room, fully absorbed in her needlework. The figure’s relaxed posture and downward gaze convey quiet focus, as soft daylight and carefully observed details, from the surrounding furnishings to a potted plant in the corner, evoke a sense of warmth and home. 

Egron Lundgren (1815–1875)

Monk in a Monastic Cell

signed and dated Egron Lundgren Rom 1848
oil on relined canvas
unframed 62 x 50 cm (24 ½ x 19 ¾ in.)
framed 79 x 68 cm (31 x 26 ¾ in.)

Essay:
Painted during Lundgren’s formative years in Italy (1847–1853), this work reflects the artist’s deep engagement with both the artistic heritage and the lived culture of central Italy. After settling in Rome, he traveled extensively in the surrounding countryside, including the mountain village of Cervara di Roma in the Sabine range, long celebrated for its rugged scenery, medieval cloisters, and monastic life. It was here, in the autumn of 1848, that Lundgren noted in his diary: “I have now in the autumn painted a monastic cell with a monk.”

The present work gives visual form to that entry. A solitary friar, robed in brown, stands in the sparse interior of his cell. A shaft of light from a narrow window illuminates his features, while beyond lies the radiant Italian landscape. The contrast between the dim interior and the luminous world outside encapsulates the monk’s withdrawal from earthly concerns into spiritual contemplation.

Lundgren’s Italian sojourn was decisive for his artistic development. Immersed in the study of Renaissance and Baroque masters, he simultaneously captured the immediacy of Italian life, from rustic interiors to monastic rituals. His refined chiaroscuro and empathetic rendering here reveal both his fascination with the dignity of religious devotion and his ability to transform observation into poetic imagery.

Literature:
Egron Lundgren, Reseskildringar, anteckningar och bref, collected and published by Georg Nordensvan:
“Vi voro äfven någon tid uppe i Cervara, där jag målade en interiör af en bondstuga m. m., som jag vill skicka hem, äfven har jag nu på hösten målat en klostercell med en munk.”
We also spent some time in Cervara, where I painted the interior of a peasant’s cottage and other subjects, which I wish to send home; I have now in the autumn also painted a monastic cell with a monk.

Egron Sellif Lundgren (Stockholm 1815–1875 Stockholm)

The assassination of George, Duke of Clarence in the Tower of London; A Scene from Shakespeare’s Richard III (Act I, scene 4)

Authenticated by Karl Asplund (1890–1978) 15 March 1966 on the reverse.¹

Oil on canvas
unframed 25.2 x 36.7 cm (9 ⅞ x 14 ½ in.)
framed 39 x 51 cm (15 ⅜ x 20 ⅛ in.)
Original gilt frame

Painted in London in 1854

Provenance:
In the artist’s possession until his death;
his sale, Stockholm, Bukowskis, Egron Lundgrens efterlämnade samlingar och arbeten, under Oljemålningar [Oil paintings], lot 343 “Richard III, Shakespearescen, Komposition. H. 24, B 36” (105 kronor to Chamberlain (Kammarherre) Robert Montgomery Cederhielm)²

Literature:
Karl Asplund, Egron Lundgren, 1914, Vol. I, 1815–1853, p. 179; Vol. II, 1859–1875, p. 166

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (1449–1478), was the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle between rival factions of the Plantagenets now known as the Wars of the Roses. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London accused of treason and executed.

In February 1854 and in March 1857, Shakespeare’s play Richard III was performed in London starring Charles Kean as Richard III. The script was based on Colley Cibber’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play from 1699, The Tragical History of King Richard III, Alter’d from Shakespeare.

In Shakespeare’s play, without historical proofs, Richard, the Earl of Gloucester, later King Richard III, ordered his brother’s imprisonment in the Tower of London and had him assassinated. Contrary to Shakespeare’s original play, in which there are two assassins, Cibber has limited it to one assassin.

Soon after his arrival in London from Spain in the autumn 1853, Lundgren was introduced to Queen Victoria from whom he received commissions to depict life at the court. Soon she also commissioned him to illustrate her favorite plays by Shakespeare that regularly were performed in the London theatres. Queen Victoria was a great admirer of Shakespeare, making notes about his works in her journal, enjoying live performances and commissioning painting scenes inspired by his plays. In 1864, William Perry, woodcarver to Queen Victoria, carved a bust of William Shakespeare, from a portion of Herne’s Oak, a tree that has been immortalised by Shakespeare’s comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor. A special casket was also made to hold Shakespeare’s famous First Folio inside.

In his two-volume book on Lundgren, Karl Asplund devotes considerable length to Lundgren’s illustrations after Shakespeare and his role as court painter to Queen Victoria.

¹ Karl Asplund worked at Bukowskis Konsthandel from 1916 and was its director between 1929 and 1953
² Robert Montgomery Cederhielm (1851–1932) had inherited a number of manor houses and castles. His principal seat was Segersjö Manor, Lännäs, in the County of Västmanland

Image: Segersjö Manor

Egron Sellif Lundgren (1815–1875) Sweden

Interior of a Kitchen, c. 1840

oil on paper laid on cardboard,
inscribed “Lundgren Nr. 15” on the reverse.
unframed 27.5 x 20.5 cm (10 ¾ x 8 in.)
framed 37 x 30 cm (14 ½ x 11 ¾ in.)

Provenance:
Chief Physician Karl Martin (†1936);
his estate sale, Stockholm, Bukowskis, 22 April 1936, cat. no. 305, lot 37: “Egron Lundgren, Interior with Still Life. Study from the 1840s” (sold for 120 SEK to Director Gösta Stenman (1888–1947), Stockholm).

Essay:
Lundgren stayed in Paris from 1839 to 1841 as a scholarship holder of the Royal Academy, studying under Léon Cogniet (1794–1880). From there he travelled on to Rome, where he remained until 1849. No oil paintings from his Paris years are known, only pencil sketches.

The present work, executed in Rome during the 1840s, is one of four oil sketches once in the collection of Chief Physician Karl Martin, which were dispersed after his death at the Bukowskis sale on 22 April 1936 (lots 35–38). The others were Roman Choir Boy, Interior with a Boy, and Prison Interior, all of similar size. Two of these were acquired by Director Gösta Stenman.

The kitchen depicted here is situated below ground level, as indicated by the vaulted architecture. A pencil drawing in the Nationalmuseum’s collection, Vault with Old Staircase (NMH A 313/1981), undated, shows certain affinities with the present painting.

Clara Löfgren (1843–1923) Sweden

Pergola Noor, c.1890

oil on canvas laid down on board
unframed: 27.7 x 26.7 cm (10.9 x 10.5 in)
framed: 35 x 34 cm (13.8 x 13.4 in)

Provenance:
Likely owned by the artist Olof Hermelin (his name inscribed on the reverse)

Essay:
Clara Löfgren’s Pergola Noor is an intimate oil painting from around 1890, depicting a sunlit pergola overgrown with flowering vines. The composition captures a quiet corner of a garden, where dappled sunlight filters through the trellis and foliage, casting delicate patterns across a winding path. The interplay of light and shadow is rendered with sensitivity and warmth, creating an atmosphere of stillness and summer serenity. The title, Pergola Noor, alludes to this radiant quality—noor meaning "light"—a fitting reference to the way illumination permeates the scene and infuses it with softness and life.

This small-format work, executed in oil on canvas laid down on board, possesses a jewel-like quality. Its near-square proportions heighten the sense of intimacy, drawing the viewer into the secluded garden space. The name of fellow artist Olof Hermelin appears on the back, suggesting the work may have once belonged to him. This link between artists of the period offers an intriguing layer of historical connection and shared aesthetic sensibility.

At the time Pergola Noor was painted, Clara Löfgren was an accomplished artist with formal training from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm and further studies in Munich and Paris. Though best known for her portraits—including royal commissions—she was equally adept in landscape and genre scenes. The garden motif of Pergola Noor reflects the influence of plein-air painting and the 19th century’s growing interest in capturing transient effects of light in nature. The treatment of atmosphere and subtle tonal transitions places Löfgren in dialogue with broader European trends of the era.

Clara Löfgren belonged to a generation of Swedish women artists whose work was admired in their time but later undervalued in art history. Alongside peers such as Julia Beck and Emma Ekwall, she navigated a male-dominated art world with determination and skill. These artists built respected careers and exhibited widely, yet their contributions were often overlooked for much of the 20th century. In recent years, however, interest in their work has resurged, and scholars and institutions are now acknowledging the significant role they played in shaping Scandinavian art.