Frans Johan Roselli - River Landscape in Moonlight
Regular price 50 477 krFrans Johan Roselli (1833–1868) Sweden
Flodlandskap i Månsken (River Landscape in Moonlight), 1866
oil on canvas, mounted on panel
signed and dated lower right
unframed 48 × 67 cm (18.9 × 26.4 in)
framed 72 × 91 cm (28.3 × 35.8 in)
Provenance:
Consul Zethelius, Stockholm, 1937;
Svensk-Engelska Konstgalleriet;
A Swedish private collection.
Essay:
Flodlandskap i Månsken (“River Landscape in Moonlight”) is an evocative landscape depicting the ruins of a medieval castle on a forested island, rendered with remarkable sensitivity to light and atmosphere. The composition centres on the dramatic silhouette of a crumbling fortress, possibly inspired by Kronoberg Castle or Stegeborg Castle, rising above a quiet stretch of water at dusk. In the foreground, a man holding a burning torch has just stepped aboard a small wooden boat. The warm, flickering firelight illuminates the rocky shoreline and creates a vivid contrast with the cool, ethereal glow of the moonlit sky and river.
Roselli orchestrates a sophisticated interplay between two distinct light sources: the warm blaze of the torch and the soft radiance of the full moon. The torchlight casts amber reflections across the stones, boat, and figure, pulling the viewer into the immediate drama of the scene. In contrast, the moonlight suffuses the landscape with a calm, silvery luminosity, outlining the ruined walls and drifting clouds. This dual lighting creates a striking depth and atmosphere, demonstrating Roselli’s exceptional command of nocturnal effects.
The Artist
Frans Johan Roselli was a Swedish landscape painter active during the height of Romanticism in the mid-19th century. Born in Småland in 1833, he began his artistic training early and later studied under Marcus Larson, one of Sweden’s foremost Romantic painters. Roselli’s work reflects this influence, particularly in his dramatic treatment of light and atmospheric effects. In 1867 he continued his studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, further refining his technique and compositional skill.
Roselli’s career, however, was brief. In 1868, while travelling abroad to advance his artistic education, he fell ill and died at the age of thirty-five. His surviving body of work is therefore limited, making paintings such as Flodlandskap i Månsken especially significant. This piece exemplifies his ability to unite technical precision with a deeply Romantic sensibility, capturing both the mystery and the poetry of the Nordic landscape at night.
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