Egron Sellif Lundgren (1815–1875) Sweden

Resting Dromedar, 1861

watercolour heightened with white
unframed 21 x 29.2 cm (8 ¼ x 11 ½ in.)
framed 40 x 48 cm (15 ¾ x 18 ⅞ in.)

Provenance:
Sale, Stockholm, Bukowskis, 12 December 1894, lot 42;
Signe and Ernst Trygger (1857–1943), Villa Trygger, Stockholm. Ernst Trygger was Swedish Prime Minister (1923–24), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1928–30) and University Chancellor (1926–37);  A Swedish private collection. 

Literature:
Förteckning på oljemålningar, aquareller och handteckningar m.m. av Egron Lundgren utställda i Akademien för de fria konsterna, 1876, no. 259.
Karl Asplund, Egron Lundgren, Vol. II, 1940, p. 40, note 1, p. 166.

Exhibited:
The Royal Academy, Egron Lundgren, 10 April 1876, no. 259.
Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, Memorial Exhibition, February 1915, no. 70, Hvilande kameler (owner Ernst Trygger).
The Royal Academy, Svenska Akvareller (Swedish Watercolor Exhibition), 1925, no. 224, Vilande kameler (owner Signe Trygger).

Essay:
This delicate watercolour, executed during Lundgren’s first journey to Egypt in the winter of 1861–62, depicts a resting dromedary in the shade at Giza. Painted in transparent washes with touches of white gouache, the work captures the intense desert light and atmosphere with a remarkable immediacy. The reclining animal dominates the composition, rendered in warm ochres and browns against a cool, shadowy background, while highlights on its saddle and coat give the scene a subtle radiance. The quiet stillness of the subject reflects Lundgren’s sensitivity to the everyday motifs of the Orient, which he observed and painted directly on site.

Lundgren travelled to Egypt in the company of two British artists, Frank Dillon (1823-1909) and George Price Boyce (1926-1897). They initially rented a house by the Nile in the village of Giza, living in what Lundgren described as “oriental style,” before moving on to Cairo in January 1862. From there, they explored and painted the surrounding landscape, monuments, and urban life. The presence of camels and dromedaries in daily scenes around the Nile provided him with natural subjects for study. This watercolour likely belongs to that body of work, in which Lundgren combined sharp observation with a painterly freshness, setting him apart from the more academic studio-bound orientalists of his time.

On 15th January Lundgren wrote from Kairo (G. Nordensvan, Egron Lundgren, Reseskildringar, anteckningar och bref, 1905, p. 248):

”Vårt fattiga lilla Gizeh med sina lerhus och palmer, tält och kameler snarare hviskar ännu om patriarkernas tidsålder och tycks vara så gammalt som Genesis. Glittrar den breda Nilen ännu såsom när Moses stod på dess strand, och i stilla kvällen, när fårskockar och getter, lägra sig nere vid vattenbrynet, sitta de trötta herdarna i aftonsolen så bruna som om de var var porfyrstoder, nyss uppgrävda från något underjordiskt tempel. Här flyger Ibis ännu över de tysta vattendragen  i palmskogarna, och om natten går månen upp på den underligt klara stjärnhimmeln och tyckes liksom söka sin gamla Isis-dyrkan. De mysteriösa, uråldriga pyramiderna stodo hvar morgon där spöklika, gåtlika med den tomma öknen bakom sig, och det var därföre icke att undra på om dagen blev full af drömmar om långt förflutna tider.” (“Our poor little Giza with its mud houses and palm trees, tents and camels rather still whispers of the age of the patriarchs and seems to be as old as Genesis. Does the wide Nile still glitter as when Moses stood on its banks?, and in the still evening, when sheepherds and goats, camp down by the water's edge, the weary shepherds sit in the evening sun as brown as if they were pillars of porphyry, just dug up from some subterranean temple. Here the ibis still flies over the quiet watercourses in the palm groves, and at night the moon rises in the strangely clear starry sky and seems to seek her old worship of Isis. The mysterious, ancient pyramids stood every morning ghostly, enigmatic with the empty desert behind them, and it was therefore no wonder if the day became full of dreams of times long past.”

In En målares anteckningar (A Painters diary), Vol. III, 1873, Lundgren writes in details about his stay in Egypt. His description of the house they rented in Gizeh is of great interest since it shows that foreign artists lived a most comfortable life when they visited the orient, also remote parts (p. 12):

”Vi tåga in och taga i besittning ett stort stenhus, som tillhörde Fuad el Pascha. Nilen sqvalpade upp mot ena sidan så att vi hade kunnat meta från fönsterna. Huset var för övrigt alldeles tomt,  så att vi måste från Cairo låta hämta husgeråd, sängkläder, betjening, en kock med tillbehör och mycket, som icke omtalas i tusen och en natt, men som ändock är svårt att undvara. Det blev också nödvändigt att skaffa oss ett slags österländsk klädebonad för att kunna vara mer ogenerade, och såsom skydd mot solhettan lindades turbaner omkring hattarna; min var broderad med gult silke, som lyste likt guld. Vi redo på små smalbenta borickor [åsnor]  med granna utstickande marokindsadlar, och var och en hade sin löpare efter sig. /Vårt hus låg , som sagt, alldeles ned vid  flodbrädden och över porten hängde, enligt bruket i Egypten, skinnet af en stor krokodil, vilket tros, om icke medföra lycka åtminstone skrämma bort mycket ont och vara en talisman emot all slags förtrollning. Vi hade en portfaktare, Mahommed,  en gammal gråskäggige Nubier, och dessutom två karlar, Ibrahim kammartjenare och Abdallah kock. / I övre våningen hade vi flera rymliga och ljusa rum med divaner och balkonger, ifrån hvilka utsikterna voro vidsträckta och vackra.” (We march in and take possession of a large stone house, which belonged to Fuad el Pascha. The Nile squalled up to one side so that we could have ten fishing from the windows. The house was otherwise completely empty, so that we had to have order household utensils, bedding, servants, a cook with accessories and much more from Cairo, which is not mentioned in a thousand and one nights, but which is nevertheless difficult to do without. It also became necessary to get us a kind of Eastern clothing in order to be more insolent, and as a protection against the heat of the sun turbans were wrapped around the hats; mine was embroidered with yellow silk, which shone like gold. We were ready on small narrow-legged boricas [donkeys] with protruding moroccon saddles, and each had his runner behind him. / Our house was, as I have mentioned, located by the river and over the gate hung, according to the custom in Egypt, the skin of a large crocodile, which is believed to, if not bring happiness, at least scare away much evil and be a talisman against all kinds of enchantment. We had a porter, Mahommed, an old grey-bearded Nubian, and also two men, Ibrahim the butler and Abdallah the cook. / On the upper floor we had several spacious and bright rooms with divans and balconies, from which the views were extensive and beautiful.)

The Egyptian journey marked an important stage in Lundgren’s career. Already well established as a painter of Spanish scenes and as a celebrated war correspondent and artist during the Indian Rebellion, he now turned his attention to the landscapes and people of the Middle East. The Orientalist subjects he produced in Egypt resonated with the European fascination for the exotic and the ancient, but they also carry a sense of authenticity, born from direct encounter and the spontaneity of watercolour.

Lundgren’s international career had taken him from studies in Paris and Rome to long residencies in Spain and London, where he gained the patronage of Queen Victoria. His mastery of watercolour brought him election to the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours in 1864, and his works were admired both in Sweden and abroad. The Egyptian sojourn of 1861–62 enriched his oeuvre with luminous Orientalist motifs, among which Resting Dromedar stands as a fine example. Exhibited in Sweden on several occasions, including the memorial exhibition of 1915, and with a provenance linking it to the Trygger collection, the painting today survives as both a lyrical desert study and a cultural document of Lundgren’s artistic journeys.

References

• Egron Lundgren, En målares anteckningar (A Painter’s Diary), Vols. I–III, 1871–73.
• Karl Asplund, Egron Lundgren, Vols. I–II, Stockholm, 1914–40.
• J. L. Roget, A History of the Old Watercolour Society, Vol. II, London 1891.
• G. Nordensvan, Egron Lundgren. Reseskildringar, anteckningar och bref, Stockholm, 1905.
• Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon, “Egron S. Lundgren.”
• Nationalmuseum, Svenska akvarellmålare under 1800-talet, exhibition catalogue, Stockholm 1981.

Villa Trygger, erected 1914 after a design by Ivar Tengbom

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.

Egron Sellif Lundgren (1815–1875) Sweden

Procession during Holy Week in Seville, Spain

Black ink, pencil, brown and red wash heightened with white on brown paper
201 x 267 mm.

Literature:
Lady Louisa Tenison, Castile and Andalucia, London 1853, lithograph between pp. 201–202
K. Asplund, Egron Lundgren I. 1815–1859, 1914, Vol. I, p. 143, p. 145, illustrating the lithograph

Cf. Literature:
Marta Jiménez Miranda, The special relationship between text and illustrations in Castilla and Andalucia by Louisa Mary Anne Tenison, University of Córdoba, Spain, 2022, p. 245, fig. 5

Drawn in 1852 during the artist’s stay in Spain between 1849–53. Preparatory drawing for a lithograph in Lady Louisa Tenison’s Castile and Andalucia from 1853. Lady King Tenison (1819–1882) was the wife of the Irish photographer and politician Edward King Tenison. Between 1850 and 1852, King Tenison and his wife travelled in Spain for their artwork. As an early adopter of the calotype photographic process, he aroused suspicion and curiosity due to his bulky equipment and outdoor work. The work was later published as Memories of Spain in 1854, while his wife's 50 lithographs appeared in Castile and Andalucia in 1853. In 1853, he joined the Photographic Society of London, and first displayed his work at the Great Industrial Exhibition in Dublin. The next year, he then helped to found the Dublin Photographic Society.

In the preface of her book Lady King Tenison writes:

“The landscape and architectural drawings are from my own sketches, but the figures are from the pencil of Mr. Egron Lundgren, a Swedish artist now residing in Seville, whose admirable delineations of Spanish life and customs are well known to those who have had the pleasure of visiting his studio.”

Travelers’ books show an evolution of Holy Week as the centuries go by. From the 16th century, when travelers saw penance and the processional steps as an act of faith, until the 18th century, when they began to criticize the most irrational customs and the lack of faith of many participants who sought social prestige through the celebration or to hide immoral behavior. Lady King Tenison writes about the subject of the present work:

“The images or pasos belong to certain religious associations called Cofradias. Founded in days gone by, when faith prompted people to attend them, and look on them with some feelings of reverential awe; but that spirit has passed away, and now they are chiefly supported by the innkeepers and tradesmen of the town, who contribute largely to their funds, not from any devotional zeal, but as a source of profit, and from the knowledge that they attract a crowd of both natives and foreigners, and thus afford them an opportunity of considerably improving their temporal interests.”

In his two-volume book on Egron Lundgren, Karl Asplund writes about the subject (op. cit., p. 143):

“Processionen är som en scenbild ur någon opera à la Carmen; man tycker sig höra orkestermarschen, under vilken hela ensemblen tågar in och uppfyller scenen till en final.”
(“The procession is like a scene from some opera à la Carmen; you think you hear the orchestral march, during which the whole ensemble marches in and fills the stage for a finale.”)

Holy Week in Spain is the annual tribute of the Passion of Jesus Christ celebrated by Catholic religious brotherhoods (Spanish: cofradía) and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets of almost every Spanish city and town during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. The processions incorporate different scenes from the Passion of Christ. Every brotherhood carries magnificent Pasos or floats with sculptures that depict different scenes from the gospels related to the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Brotherhoods have owned and preserved these Pasos for centuries in some cases. Usually, the Pasos are accompanied by marching bands performing Marchas procesionales, a specific type of composition devoted to the images and fraternities. Since Holy Week coincides with Palm Sunday, the feast also commemorates Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In many Catholic and Episcopal denominations, worship services on Palm Sunday include a procession of the faithful carrying palms, representing the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem.

The celebration of Holy Week regarding popular piety relies almost exclusively on the processions of the brotherhoods or fraternities. These associations have their origins in the Middle Ages, but a number of them were created during the Baroque period. The membership is usually open to any Catholic person, and family tradition is an important element to become a member or “brother” (hermano). Historically, the flagellants are the origin of the current traditions, as they flogged themselves to do penance. Pope Clement VI ordered that flagellants could perform penance only under control of the Church; he decreed Inter sollicitudines (“inner concerns”). This is considered one of the reasons why flagellants often hid their faces.

A common feature in Spain is the almost general usage of the nazareno or penitential robe for some of the participants in the processions. This garment consists of a tunic, a hood with conical tip (capirote or coroza) used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak. The use of the capirote or coroza was prescribed in Spain and Portugal by the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Men and women who were arrested also had to wear a paper capirote in public as a sign of public humiliation. The colour was different, conforming to the judgement of the office. People who were condemned to be executed wore a red coroza. Other punishments used different colours. When the Inquisition was abolished, the symbol of punishment and penitence was kept in the Catholic brotherhood. The exact colors and forms of the robes depend on the particular procession.

The robes were widely used in the medieval period for penitents, who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity, and were part of the uniform of some brotherhoods including the Nazarenos and Fariseos during Easter observances and reenactments in some areas during Holy Week in Spain.

Carl Oscar Borg (1879–1947)

An Old Military Road, The Road over Dovrefjell, Norway

gouache on paper, ca. 1900
signed
sheet 12.5 cm x  17.5 (4.9 x 6.9 in) 
framed 23 × 28 cm (9 × 11 in)

Essay:
This evocative mountain scene captures the vast, windswept highlands of Dovrefjell in central Norway. A narrow ochre road winds gently into the distance, cutting through tundra dotted with lichen-covered rocks, melting snowfields, and pale blue pools. Beyond the foreground, low ridgelines and rounded peaks rise up toward the horizon, tinged with mauves, rusts, and icy whites. The atmosphere is brisk and luminous—suggesting early morning light breaking over a remote, high-altitude plateau.

Dovrefjell, historically a main route between southern and northern Norway, has long been traversed by traders, pilgrims, and soldiers. The title of this work refers to the old military road across the massif—once a key artery for movement through the mountainous terrain. Borg’s painting conveys not only the natural beauty of the place, but also the quiet isolation and historical depth that characterize the region.

Painted around 1900, this gouache dates from Carl Oscar Borg’s earliest period as an artist, just before his emigration to the United States. Unlike his later, more widely known depictions of the American Southwest, this work belongs to a rare group of Scandinavian landscapes he executed as a young man. Here, his brush is loose and expressive, capturing fleeting light and shifting cloud with confident, fluid strokes. The composition is simple yet expansive, inviting the viewer to follow the winding road into the heart of the mountains.

As an early plein-air study, An Old Military Road reveals Borg’s sensitivity to light, land, and mood—qualities that would come to define his mature work. In this small but richly atmospheric piece, we see an artist on the verge of his transatlantic journey, absorbing the Nordic wilderness with a clarity and calm that echo across time.

Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947) Swedish/American

Arizona Landscape

gouache on paper
signed CARL OSCAR BORG.
unframed: 12 x 17.5 cm (4 3/4 x 6 7/8 in)
framed: 22 x 27 cm (8 5/8 x 10 5/8 in)

Provenance: 
Nagel Auctions, Stuttgart, Germany, 08 dec 2010, lot 1036.

Essay:
In this expressive gouache study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the dramatic sweep of the Arizona highlands, where storm clouds gather over layered mesas and valleys bathed in shifting light. Painted with fluid brushstrokes and a bold sense of contrast, the work reflects the artist’s deep connection to the American Southwest and its untamed beauty. The swirling forms of clouds and shadowed ridges lend the scene a sense of movement and emotional weight.

This compact composition—rendered in gouache on card—embodies the immediacy of a plein air study, likely painted on location during one of Borg’s extensive journeys through Arizona. The chromatic tension between the earthy foreground and the deep blues of the distant hills reflects Borg’s ability to balance drama with harmony.

Born in Sweden in 1879, Carl Oscar Borg immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, eventually settling in California. He became one of the most prominent interpreters of the Southwest, known for his sensitive portrayals of Native American life and his vivid depictions of landscapes in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. His career spanned painting, teaching, and film art direction, and his work is represented in many major American museum collections.

Arizona Landscape is a striking testament to Borg’s gift for capturing not only the geography of the West, but its atmosphere—vast, volatile, and profoundly alive.

Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947) Swedish/American

Blue Mountains, New Mexico

gouache on paper
signed CARL OSCAR BORG.
unframed: 12 x 17.5 cm (4 3/4 x 6 7/8 in)
framed: 22 x 27 cm (8 5/8 x 10 5/8 in)

Provenance: 
Nagel Auctions, Stuttgart, Germany, 08 dec 2010, lot 1034.

Essay:
In this luminous landscape study, Carl Oscar Borg captures the serene beauty of the New Mexican high desert, likely looking toward Mount Taylor, a sacred peak that rises above the surrounding mesas and plains west of Albuquerque. The distant blue-violet tones of the mountain, softened by atmospheric haze, contrast elegantly with the warmer hues of the foreground—rust-red earth, green groves, and tranquil washes of water.

Painted in gouache on card, this work demonstrates Borg’s characteristic ability to convey depth and radiance with economy and precision. His use of color—subtle yet expressive—evokes the clarity of Southwestern light and the quiet monumentality of its landscapes.

Carl Oscar Borg was born in 1879 in Grinstad, Sweden, and immigrated to the United States at the turn of the century. Settling in California, he rose to prominence as a painter of the American West, becoming particularly known for his respectful depictions of Hopi and Navajo life and for his dramatic renderings of the region’s natural wonders. A multifaceted figure, Borg also worked as a film art director in early Hollywood and was a founding member of the California Art Club. He exhibited widely and is represented in major American museum collections.

In this intimate work, Borg distills the spirit of the Southwest into a quiet but powerful composition—a testament to his deep reverence for the land and its stories.

Carl Oscar Borg (1879–1947) Swedish/American

Easter Fires, Dalsland (Påskeldar, Dalsland)

gouache on paper
signed 
sheet 12.5 cm x 17.5 (4.9 x 6.9 in)
framed 23 x 28 (9 x 11 in) 

Essay:
A rare and atmospheric work from Carl Oscar Borg’s early years in Sweden, this evocative gouache captures the tradition of Easter fires (påskeldar) in the rural region of Dalsland. Against a smoky, windswept sky, silhouettes of figures gather near a roaring blaze. The fire’s bright orange and rose-colored flames cut through the night, casting fleeting light on the surrounding darkness. Quick, expressive brushstrokes heighten the drama of the scene, as heat and movement ripple through the composition.

This painting stands apart from Borg’s later, better-known American landscapes. Here, the focus is not on the grandeur of nature but on a moment of human ritual—communal, ancient, and deeply rooted in Nordic folklore. The påskeldar tradition, still practiced in parts of Sweden, historically served to ward off evil spirits and celebrate the arrival of spring.

Carl Oscar Borg left Sweden in 1901 and became a celebrated interpreter of the American West, painting its deserts, pueblos, and dramatic vistas. But works such as Påskeldar, Dalsland offer a rare glimpse into his early artistic vision—when his palette was still shaped by the dusky forests and folk customs of his native land. It reveals a different side of Borg: not the chronicler of the Wild West, but the young Scandinavian artist attuned to the elemental drama of firelight and shadow.

This intimate gouache glows with memory and myth, a flicker from the artist’s roots before his journey westward began.

Carl Oscar Borg (1879-1947) Swedish/American

Inscription Rock, New Mexico

gouache on paper
signed CARL OSCAR BORG.
unframed: 12 x 17.5 cm (4 3/4 x 6 7/8 in)
framed: 22 x 27 cm (8 5/8 x 10 5/8 in)

Provenance: 
Nagel Auctions, Stuttgart, Germany, 08 dec 2010, lot 1037.

Essay:
This striking gouache by Swedish-American artist Carl Oscar Borg depicts the monumental sandstone formation known as Inscription Rock, part of El Morro National Monument in western New Mexico. Towering above the desert plain, this dramatic outcrop has served for centuries as a waypoint for travelers, who carved their names and messages into the soft rock—ranging from ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs to inscriptions by Spanish explorers and American pioneers.

Carl Oscar Borg was born in 1879 in the village of Grinstad, Dalsland, Sweden, and immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. Settling in California, he became a celebrated painter of the American Southwest, capturing its vast landscapes and Native cultures with deep reverence and dramatic flair. Borg was closely associated with the Hopi and Navajo peoples and is often described as their "artistic interpreter."

An influential figure in the California art scene, Borg also worked as an art director during the golden age of silent film and taught at institutions including the California Art Institute and the Santa Barbara School of the Arts. His work is represented in major museum collections across the United States.

In Inscription Rock, New Mexico, Borg's sensitive handling of color and texture conveys the spiritual grandeur of the Southwestern landscape. The painting is a fine example of his enduring fascination with the land and its layered histories.

Lindorm Liljefors (1909-1985) Sweden

Goldfinches, Taormina

oil on board
signed and dated Taormina 83 Lindorm L 
unframed 19 x 27 cm
framed 28.5 x 36 cm

Provenance:
A Swedish private collection 

Essay:
This exquisite painting by Lindorm Liljefors, the talented Swedish painter, draughtsman, and sculptor, is a testament to his profound connection with nature and his artistic lineage. Born on September 18, 1909, in Ytterjärna, Södermanland, and passing away on February 20, 1985, in Skyttorp, Uppsala County, Lindorm was the son of the renowned artist Bruno Liljefors. Educated at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm from 1928 to 1934, under the tutelage of Alfred Bergström and Wilhelm Smith, he honed his skills before embarking on study trips to France and Italy in 1934.

Our painting "Goldfinches, Taormina" showcases a serene natural landscape, inspired by the picturesque scenery of Taormina, it captures the essence of Taormina's natural beauty, combining it with Liljefors' unique artistic perspective. The landscape is richly detailed with lush green grass, delicate flowers, and rugged stones. The focal point is two European goldfinches (Steglits): one gracefully perched on the ground and the other captured in mid-flight, adding a dynamic element to the tranquil scene. This portrayal not only highlights Liljefors' skill in rendering natural beauty but also reflects his personal love for the outdoors, a theme consistent throughout his career.

Lindorm Liljefors followed in his father's footsteps, both in his choice of motifs and his perspective on nature. His oeuvre includes a variety of nature scenes, such as hunters with dogs, crows on ice, badger families, ducks near openings in the ice, and forest interiors. As a sculptor, he focused on depicting humans and animals in motion. His passion for hunting and dogs, coupled with his contributions to the magazine "Svensk Jakt," further underscored his deep engagement with the natural world.

Ferdinand Fagerlin (1825–1907) Sweden

Wishing It Were She ( Önskandes att det var hon) 

Ferd. Fagerlin (lower right)
oil on canvas
unframed: 17 × 21.5 cm (6.7 × 8.5 in)
framed: 30.5 × 35 cm (12 × 13.8 in)

Provenance:
Private Swedish collection

Essay
This small, intimate oil painting Wishing It Were She is a preparatory study for a larger composition of the same title. The scene depicts three figures in a richly furnished 19th-century interior: a young woman stands by a table, a seated young man converses with another woman, and a dog sprawls contentedly on the floor in the foreground. The arrangement is intimate yet subtly theatrical, as if a quiet domestic drama is unfolding on a stage. Warm tones and richly textured costumes and furnishings draw the viewer into the narrative. The title hints at unspoken romantic longing, suggesting that the young man may be wistfully imagining the standing woman in place of his current companion. Despite its small size, the study brims with narrative realism and finely observed detail, capturing a moment of everyday life imbued with emotional undercurrents.

Ferdinand Fagerlin painted this work during his years in Düsseldorf, and it exemplifies the hallmarks of the Düsseldorf School of painting. Educated at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Karl Ferdinand Sohn and Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow, Fagerlin absorbed that academy’s emphasis on strong draftsmanship, meticulous detail, and dramatic composition. The influence of the Düsseldorf School is apparent in the painting’s carefully structured grouping of figures and the almost stage-like setting that reinforces the story. At the same time, the subject matter is domestic and anecdotal, a slice of everyday life, reflecting the Düsseldorf artists’ interest in genre scenes as well as their narrative clarity. Fagerlin, a Swedish-born painter who settled in Germany, became known for such genre paintings that combined academic technique with the portrayal of ordinary people. His membership in the Düsseldorf artists’ association Malkasten and his ties to a community of Scandinavian painters there positioned him as a key Nordic figure in this international art movement. In Wishing It Were She, one can see Fagerlin’s keen attention to the textures of fabric, the play of warm indoor light, and the expressive gestures of his characters, all of which attest to his training and talent as a storyteller in paint.

The subject and style of this piece also speak to the broader popularity of genre painting in the 19th century. European audiences and collectors of the time greatly enjoyed paintings of everyday life, especially those with a touch of sentiment or moral narrative. In an era when large historical or religious works dominated academic salons, scenes of domestic intimacy like Fagerlin’s offered a relatable alternative. They were often populated with lovingly rendered details, from the faithful dog at the hearth to the bird in hand, that lent authenticity and charm. Genre paintings such as this were eagerly collected by the growing middle class, who found in them both aesthetic pleasure and reflections of their own social world. Fagerlin’s work, in particular, often drew inspiration from Northern European settings and 17th-century Dutch painting traditions, evident in his precise depiction of interiors and costumes. This influence resulted in images that felt at once true-to-life and nostalgically picturesque, satisfying 19th-century tastes for realism tempered with warmth and sentimentality.

As a preparatory study, Wishing It Were She holds special value for understanding Fagerlin’s artistic approach. Though modest in scale, the painting is executed with a confidence and completeness that suggest it may have been shown to patrons or used by the artist to refine the composition of the final large canvas. (The finished version, measuring 85 × 103 cm, was sold at Sotheby’s in 2004, 21.600€) 

Sources
- Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon – “Ferdinand Julius Fagerlin (1825–1907)” (Stockholm: National Archives of Sweden, 1953).
- Bettina Baumgärtel (ed.), Die Düsseldorfer Malerschule und ihre internationale Ausstrahlung 1819–1918, vol. 1 (Petersberg: Michael Imhof, 2011).
- Encyclopedia Britannica – “Düsseldorf school (painting)”, Britannica Academic Edition.
- Wikipedia – “Ferdinand Fagerlin” (biographical article) and “Genre painting” (general overview of 19th-century genre art).

Condition Report:
Minor age-related craquelure consistent with the painting’s age. Varnish is aged but stable, Colors remain bright and clear, The work is ready to hang and presents well overall.

Alfred Wahlberg (1834–1906) Sweden

Moonlight Over a French Harbor (1875)

signed lower left
oil on canvas
unframed 25.5 × 39.5 cm (10 × 15.6 in)
framed 40 × 54 cm (15.7 × 21.3 in)

Provenance:
Stockholms Auktionsverk, 30 November 2006, Lot #2201
Private collection, Stockholm (acquired from the above)

Essay
Moonlight Over a French Harbor is a serene and atmospheric nocturne that demonstrates Alfred Wahlberg’s mastery of light and his poetic sensibility. Under the radiance of a full moon, the harbor lies in calm stillness, its waters shimmering with soft reflections that dissolve into darkness toward the quayside buildings. The masts and rigging of moored ships rise sharply against the clouded night sky, creating a dramatic interplay between luminous moonlight and enveloping shadow. In the foreground, a small rowboat carrying four figures drifts through the reflective water, inserting a human presence without disturbing the composition’s profound tranquility. The left portion of the harbor remains largely obscured in shadow, where warehouses and coastal dwellings appear faintly against the night, intensifying the sense of depth and mystery.

The nocturne as a genre held particular fascination for 19th century painters, who viewed the moonlit landscape as a setting for introspection and emotional nuance. Wahlberg’s treatment of the subject is both naturalistic and poetic. Rather than relying on overt Romantic drama, he employs subtle tonal shifts to evoke the hush of evening and the quiet rhythm of harbor life. The boats, the luminous sky and the silvery water together create a unified impression of calm, while the figures in the rowboat introduce a gentle narrative of passage and transition. Wahlberg’s sensitivity to atmospheric conditions aligns him with other artists of the period who explored the expressive potential of night scenes, where the landscape becomes a theatre of light and mood instead of a backdrop for anecdote.

Wahlberg’s ability to capture such delicate atmospheric effects was shaped profoundly by his time in France. Having arrived in Paris in the mid-1860s, he absorbed the influence of the Barbizon school, whose painters emphasized the importance of working directly from nature and observing transient light with fidelity. It was during these years that Wahlberg developed his distinctive command of tonal landscape, exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon and achieving considerable acclaim. The French milieu encouraged him to move away from the more rigid conventions of his earlier Düsseldorf training and toward a freer, more immediate mode of expression. His moonlit scenes, in particular, resonated with Salon audiences and established him as a notable interpreter of nocturnal landscapes.

Upon his return to Sweden, Wahlberg played a pivotal role in introducing these modern French influences to Scandinavian painting. Younger Swedish artists looked to him as an intermediary figure who bridged the divide between traditional academic practice and the emerging naturalism of continental Europe. Moonlight Over a French Harborexemplifies this synthesis. The painting reveals both Wahlberg’s academic grounding and his responsiveness to the new artistic language he encountered in France. Through its refined handling of light, nuanced coloration and atmospheric unity, the work stands as a testament to Wahlberg’s achievement and his significance within the development of Nordic landscape painting.

Condition report:
The varnish shows age-related yellowing. Minor paint loss is present in the sail at the right. The surface retains an appealing older patina, and the frame, likely contemporaneous with the work, displays minor wear consistent with age.

Georg Emil Libert (1820–1908) Denmark

Winter Tree with Crows at Dusk

signed lower right
oil on canvas
unframed 47.5 × 42 cm (18.7 × 16.5 in)
framed 68 × 63 cm (26.8 × 24.8 in)

Provenance:
A Swedish private collection

Condition report:
The painting exhibits age-related patina with minor craquelure in the paint layer, typical for works of this period. The frame is likely original and shows minor wear consistent with age.

Essay:
This Romantic winter landscape presents a scene of profound stillness and introspection. Gnarled, leafless trees dominate the foreground, their twisted silhouettes starkly etched against the warm glow of a setting sun. The ground is blanketed in snow, broken only by a partially frozen stream that winds through the composition toward the horizon. Scattered crows give life to the otherwise silent dusk: a few birds perch on the bare branches and peck at the ice, while others wheel through the colored sky. In the distance, a tiny cottage with a single lit window and a wisp of smoke from its chimney provides the sole hint of human presence. This small beacon of light, nearly lost amid the vast blue-gray winter twilight, emphasizes the solitude and poetic melancholy that pervade the scene.

The painting exemplifies core elements of Romantic landscape art. The expressive form of the bare trees, contorted limbs reaching into the fading light, evokes themes of mortality and nature’s enduring cycle of death and rebirth. Such skeletal trees were a favored motif among Romantic painters, symbolizing the passage of time and the sublime power of nature. The dramatic sunset sky enhances the emotional tenor: golden and crimson tones spread across the clouds in contrast to the dark, cold terrain below. This contrast of luminous sky and shadowed earth is not merely picturesque; it suggests a spiritual dimension, as if the distant light offers a promise of hope or transcendence beyond the immediate desolation. The crows, depicted in various attitudes of flight and repose, serve as subtle symbols within this context. In the Romantic imagination, black birds like crows or ravens often carry associations of omen and mystery messengers between life and death or embodiments of the soul’s journey. Here their presence accentuates the mood of desolation and introspection. The viewer may sense that the birds, navigating the bleak winter evening, stand in for solitary souls in search of sustenance or meaning.

Georg Emil Libert’s handling of these motifs reflects his broader role in Danish Romanticism and his interest in dramatic natural scenes. A graduate of the Copenhagen Academy, Libert was trained by Johan Ludwig Lund, a teacher friendly with Caspar David Friedrich, and he absorbed the Romantic reverence for mood and symbolism in landscape. In the late 1840s Libert undertook study in Munich, immersing himself in the German Romantic school; this canvas, with its introspective atmosphere, is typical of the works he produced under that influence. Like many artists of the Danish “Golden Age” and Romantic period, Libert balanced meticulous realism with evocative drama. He favored twilight and winter subjects (his early success came with moonlit scenes), using striking light effects and weathered scenery to heighten emotion without resorting to overt theatrics. In Winter Tree with Crows at Dusk, the artist combines precise natural details – from the texture of snow and bark to the dim glow of the cottage window with a powerfully poetic mood. The result is a landscape that functions both as a depiction of nature and as an allegory of the human spirit. The viewer is invited to experience the sense of solitude, longing, and quiet awe that the scene inspires. In this way, Libert’s work transforms a humble winter sunset into a meditation on life, death, and the search for comfort amid nature’s sublime vastness, securing his place among the foremost Danish interpreters of Romantic landscape imagery.

Sources:
– Börsch-Supan, Helmut, et al. Baltic Light: Early Open-Air Painting in Denmark and North Germany. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
– Morton, Mary. “Georg Emil Libert, View of Sommerspiret, the Cliffs of Møn.” National Gallery of Art Bulletin 54 (Spring 2016): 24–25.
– Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Snow Scene: The Haunted House (oil on canvas, 1848), museum no. 1573-1869. Collection online record.
– Statens Museum for Kunst (Copenhagen), Et vinterlandskab (oil on canvas, 1859), inv. KMS752. Collection catalog entry.
– Weilbach, Philip. Dansk Kunstnerlexikon, 2nd ed. Copenhagen, 1897 (entry on Georg Emil Libert).

Henrik Nordenberg (1857–1928) Sweden

Woman Preparing Vegetables

oil on canvas
signed
unframed 59 x 47 cm (23.2 x 18.5 in)
framed 69 x 56.5 cm (27.2 x 22.2 in)

In Woman Preparing Vegetables, Henrik Nordenberg offers a quiet and contemplative view into the domestic life of the late 19th century. A woman is seen absorbed in her daily task, standing beside a wooden table with freshly harvested green cabbages. The interior is softly lit, filled with earthy tones and filtered daylight that gently spreads across the wooden floor and surrounding furnishings. The subdued light and careful shadowing imbue the space with a sense of timeless stillness and introspection.

The room itself reveals a warm, lived-in character. A wooden staircase rises toward a loft space, and its visibly worn steps, shaped by years of use, form a subtle yet poignant detail that anchors the scene in real human history. A tall cabinet, an open balcony rail, and rustic architectural lines suggest a Central or Northern European household, though Nordenberg deliberately keeps the setting generalized, focusing instead on mood and structure rather than specific geography.

Nordenberg’s restrained palette, consisting mainly of browns, greys, and muted greens—enhances the understated tone of the painting. The textures of fabric, wood, and foliage are rendered with care and realism, but without flourish. Nothing is dramatized; instead, the artist captures the quiet dignity of everyday labor and the poetry of domestic solitude. The woman is neither idealized nor staged, she simply is immersed in a moment of routine that, through art, becomes timeless.

The Artist
Henrik Nordenberg was a Swedish painter who spent much of his professional life in Germany, particularly in Düsseldorf, where he trained at the Royal Academy and became part of the Düsseldorf School of painting. He specialized in genre scenes and interiors, often depicting quiet, humble domestic moments with refined attention to architectural detail and lighting. His works are distinguished by their calm atmosphere, naturalistic textures, and sensitive portrayal of daily life. Woman Preparing Vegetables exemplifies this approach: a tranquil, luminous glimpse into the intimate spaces where life unfolds, unnoticed but not unworthy of reverence.

Frans 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.

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.

Gustaf Höglund (1910-1994) Sweden

Självstudie (Self Study), 1939

signed and dated lower left
oil on canvas
unframed 71 × 31 cm (28 × 12.2 in)
framed 79 × 39 cm (31.1 × 15.4 in)


This self portrait from 1939 presents Gustaf Höglund at a formative moment in his artistic development. The tall and slender format emphasizes the upright figure of the young painter, who meets the viewer with a steady and contemplative gaze. He holds a palette in one hand and a brush in the other, capturing himself in the act of painting. His attire, consisting of a blue shirt, dark waistcoat and red tie, underlines a self assured professional identity. The background is rendered with restrained and economical brushwork, allowing the figure to remain the central focus. The work conveys both concentration and self awareness, revealing the artist’s interest in direct observation and disciplined study.

Höglund’s artistic training began in Gävle, where early instruction laid the foundation for a career characterised by technical versatility and a strong figurative orientation. Further studies in Stockholm and later in Paris expanded his visual vocabulary and exposed him to contemporary European tendencies. Throughout his career he exhibited widely in Sweden, both individually and with the Brynäs group, and developed a body of work that encompassed portraiture, interiors, landscapes and still lifes. His paintings reveal a careful balance between structure and atmosphere, often marked by a thoughtful clarity that reflects his academic grounding as well as his openness to modern influences.

Louis Sparre 1863–1964

Moonlight in Autumn, Gotland (Månsken Höst, Gotland) 1920

executed in 1920
oil on canvas laid board
unframed: 20.5 × 28.5 cm (8.07 × 11.22 in)
framed: 32 × 40 cm (12.60 × 15.75 in)

Månsken Höst, Gotland (Moonlight in Autumn, Gotland), executed in 1920, is a landscape depicting a moonlit shoreline on the island of Gotland.  Sparre employs a restrained palette of greys, muted blues, and earth tones, enhancing the nocturnal atmosphere and conveying the introspective stillness of an autumn night. The composition is understated yet evocative, with distant silhouettes and subtle reflections that demonstrate the artist’s sensitivity to natural light.

Louis Sparre spent extended periods on Gotland from the 1910s onward, maintaining a summer residence on the island for several decades. Its distinctive coastal landscapes, shifting light, and historical environments provided him with a rich source of motifs. During these years he produced a significant body of drawings, watercolours, and prints inspired by Gotland’s scenery, including both its medieval architecture and its maritime vistas. The present work, painted in 1920, reflects this engagement with the island’s natural character, particularly Sparre’s interest in atmospheric conditions and the meeting of land and sea under changing light.

The Artist
Louis Sparre was a Swedish painter, printmaker, and designer whose career spanned more than seven decades. Trained in Paris at the Académie Julian, he was closely connected with Nordic artistic circles and played an important role in the early development of Art Nouveau in Finland, where he lived for many years. Sparre was a co-founder of the Iris workshop, an influential centre for artistically crafted furniture and applied arts at the turn of the century.

After returning to Sweden in 1908, he devoted himself primarily to painting and graphic work. Though aware of contemporary modernist movements, Sparre continued to cultivate a refined realism, characterized by careful observation and an emphasis on atmosphere. His oeuvre encompasses rural subjects, portraits, city views, and coastal landscapes—among them numerous depictions of Gotland that reveal his enduring fascination with the island’s distinctive light and topography.