INVENTORY

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.

Olle Hjortzberg (1872-1959) Sweden

Portrait of a Young Boy in Red

oil on board
signed with monogram OH 
unframed 41 x 31.5 cm (16 1/8 x 12 3/8 in)
framed 51 x 41.5 cm (20 1/8 x 16 3/8 in)

Provenance:
A Swedish private collection.

Background and Artistic Journey
Olle Hjortzberg (1872–1959) was a prominent Swedish painter and illustrator whose career spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, he quickly distinguished himself for his mastery of form and composition. Following his academic studies, he embarked on extensive travels across Europe and the Near East. These journeys had a lasting impact on his palette and approach, inspiring a vibrant, sun-infused color sensibility that would remain a hallmark of his work. While he would go on to become widely known for his decorative church murals and large-scale commissions—including the official poster for the 1912 Stockholm Olympics—Hjortzberg also produced a more intimate body of work, to which this portrait belongs.

Composition and Style
This painting presents a striking portrait of a young Black boy draped in a deep crimson garment, captured in three-quarter view against a textured, warm-toned background.
The contrast between the boy’s skin and the rich folds of the red fabric is handled with extraordinary sensitivity, evoking both academic discipline and painterly warmth. The golden-ochre background envelops the figure in a subtle halo of light, lending the composition a quiet dignity. The confident modeling of the face and fabric suggests an artist deeply attuned to both physical presence and emotional resonance.

Subject Significance and Context
Portraits of individuals of African descent were rare in Nordic art at the early 1900s, and this work stands out for its empathy and composure. The boy’s identity remains unknown, but the portrait was likely painted in Hjortzberg’s Stockholm studio, circa 1930–1940. What makes this portrait exceptional is its lack of exoticism: the subject is presented not as a trope or costume figure, but as a child—present, dignified, and thoughtfully observed. The rich red garment, flowing like a cloak, emphasizes the boy’s quiet strength and individual presence. It is this humanist lens—so essential to Hjortzberg’s artistic ethos—that elevates the portrait beyond mere study into something more enduring and sincere.

Olof Thunman (1879–1944) Sweden

Sandö, Wallda Varby, Halland, 1913 

oil on canvas (laid on panel)
unsigned
unframed 31 x 47 cm (approx. 12.2 x 18.5 in)
framed 42 x 58 cm (approx. 16.5 x 22.8 in)

Provenance: Gift from the artist to Professor Rutger Sernander (1866–1944), Uppsala, and subsequently gifted by Sernander to his daughter Stina Sernander in 1930.

Literature: Olof Thunmans Konst – Förteckning över genom Thunman-utställningen på Upplands nation 1–15 febr. 1942 kända arbeten av konstnären / med en inledning av Nils Ålenius (Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksells, 1942), listed in the catalogue as no. 103, p. 7.

Essay:
This painting depicts a quiet rocky landscape with a still, reflective pond nestled among sparse vegetation. In the late-summer light of August 1913, Thunman rendered the terrain of Sandö in Halland with meticulous detail and a subdued color palette. The rocky ground and calm water dominate the scene, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Thunman’s confident handling of oil on canvas captures the texture of lichen-covered stone and the mirror-like surface of the pond, which reflects the pale sky above. The result is an intimate landscape study that conveys both the ruggedness and serenity of Sweden’s west coast. The work’s modest scale (just over 30 by 46 cm) draws the viewer in, as if to privately contemplate this coastal vista. On the reverse of the panel, Thunman inscribed the location and date – “Sandö, Wallda Varby, Halland. Aug. 1913” – along with a dedication indicating he “painted and gave” (pinxit et dedit) the piece to Professor Rutger Sernander, and a later note recording its gift to “Stina” in 1930. These personal notations offer a direct link between the painting and its early owners.

Olof Thunman was a Swedish painter and writer celebrated for his lyrical depictions of the Swedish landscape. Educated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, he developed a style grounded in Naturalism and tinged with the emerging national romantic spirit of his time. Thunman was also a poet, and in both his art and poetry he focused on scenes from the Swedish countryside, especially his native province of Uppland in east-central Sweden. However, he traveled and painted across the country – from the Uppland archipelago to Västergötland and the West Coast – seeking out views that spoke to his love of nature. In the early 1900s he primarily worked in oils, often painting marine and coastal landscapes, before gradually shifting towards ink drawings and pastels in later years. Thunman’s artistic output is imbued with a deep reverence for Sweden’s natural and cultural heritage, a quality that resonated with many of his contemporaries. He balanced his dual talents in art and literature, at one point even mentoring the young troubadour Evert Taube in painting and poetry. By the time he painted Sandö, Halland 1913, Thunman was in his mid-thirties and in full command of his craft, adept at capturing the subtle atmosphere of a locale. This landscape, though outside his usual Uppland milieu, reflects the same attentive observation and gentle mood found in his best-known works.

The location depicted, Sandö in Halland, lies on Sweden’s southwest coast and is today part of the Vallda Sandö nature reserve. Contrary to its name (which means “Sand Island”), Vallda Sandö is actually a rocky peninsula characterized by coastal meadows, bare granite outcrops, and shallow bays. The northern Halland coast where Sandö is situated offers a mix of sandy beaches and smooth coastal cliffs, with hardy vegetation such as heather and juniper clinging to crevices in the rock. Thunman’s painting likely captures one of the peninsula’s small freshwater or brackish ponds, which periodically form in the low-lying areas near the shore. In the composition, the mirror-like pond serves as a focal point, reflecting the sky and accentuating the openness of the landscape. The sparse plants around the water – perhaps scrubby coastal grasses or heather – hint at the windswept environment typical of Halland’s shoreline. Although the scene is specific to Halland, its untamed natural beauty would have been familiar and meaningful to Swedish viewers of the time, aligning with a broader appreciation for the nation’s diverse landscapes. Sandö’s terrain, with its blend of rock, water, and sky, is emblematic of the Scandinavian coastal scenery that many artists of Thunman’s era sought to immortalize on canvas.

A particularly significant aspect of this work is its dedication to Professor Rutger Sernander (1866–1944), noted on the back. Sernander was a prominent botanist, geologist and a pioneer in Sweden’s early nature conservation movement. As a co-founder of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation in 1909 and its early chairman, he championed the protection of natural landscapes and had a profound interest in the flora and ecology of regions like Uppland. Thunman and Sernander were close friends, connected by shared values and mutual respect. Both men were part of a generation that viewed the Swedish landscape as a wellspring of national identity and inspiration. Sernander in particular espoused a philosophy sometimes described as “nature-nationalism,” which blended scientific conservation with a love of country. This ethos found a kindred spirit in Thunman, whose art and poetry celebrated the “unrivaled Swedish countryside”. In fact, Sernander and Thunman were kindred souls in their devotion to the Uppland landscape – Sernander as a scientist and advocate, Thunman as an artist and poet – both sensing that traditional pastoral scenes were in danger of disappearing with modern changes. Their friendship extended into artistic patronage: Thunman gifted this painting to Sernander, presumably as a token of esteem and shared passion for nature’s beauty. One can imagine the botanist-professor treasuring this Halland seascape as a complement to his beloved Uppland fields – a reminder of Sweden’s varied environments worth cherishing. The inscription “Olle Thunman pinxit et dedit” (Latin for “Olle Thunman painted and gave [this]”) formalizes that gift, and the further note “Till Stina 27.5.1930 av pappa” shows that Sernander later passed the painting on to his daughter Stina in 1930. This chain of dedication and inheritance speaks to the personal value the artwork held: it was not only a landscape painting but also a memento of friendship and family legacy.

Carl Johansson (1863-1944) Sweden

Evening Light over a Mountain Lake, 1936

oil paint on masonite
signed and dated
unframed: 25.5 x 38.5 cm (10 x 15 1/8 in)
framed: 36.5 x 50 cm (14 3/8 x 19 5/8 in)

Essay:
This luminous landscape, painted in 1936, captures the quiet majesty of northern Sweden in the golden light of evening. The view likely depicts the area near Åre in Jämtland, where forested ridges meet the deep blue waters of a fjäll lake. The sun, low on the horizon, casts a path of flickering light across the surface, anchoring the composition with a sense of stillness and vastness. The palette – vibrant blues, purples, and soft touches of rose – evokes the high-altitude clarity and Nordic summer light that fascinated many Swedish painters of the early 20th century.

Carl Johansson was one of Sweden’s foremost landscape painters. He studied at the Royal Academy in Stockholm and spent formative years in Paris and Italy before returning to Sweden, where he became a master of the northern landscape. His works are admired for their brilliant light, confident brushwork, and atmospheric depth. While rooted in a naturalistic tradition, Johansson's mature style often pushed toward a lyrical impressionism, capturing not just the topography but the feeling of place.

This painting is a striking example of his late-period work, combining the structural clarity of his earlier compositions with a rich, expressive handling of color and light. For collectors interested in Nordic modernism and the Scandinavian landscape tradition, Johansson offers a compelling bridge between academic painting and the freer language of early modernism.

Emma Ekwall (1838–1925)

The Wool Winder (1877)

oil on canvas
unframed 57 × 47 cm (22.4 × 18.5 inches)
framed 72.5 × 63 cm (28.5 × 24.8 inches)
signed and dated: Emma Ekwall 1877

Essay:
In The Wool Winder, Emma Ekwall captures a moment of quiet domestic intimacy between a young woman and a man as they wind wool together—she with focused care, he with gentle attentiveness. The yarn, drawn from a basket at their feet, winds its way across the floor and through their hands, forming both a literal and symbolic thread of connection between them.

The scene is rendered with remarkable clarity and warmth. Details such as the carefully painted porcelain vase, the folded blanket with floral print, and the rifle resting nearby add narrative richness and suggest a life beyond the frame. The woman’s face, delicately modeled and softly lit, becomes the emotional heart of the composition. Her thoughtful expression and modest posture invite the viewer to imagine what unspoken emotions might lie beneath the surface. Is this a simple household task, or a tender moment of courtship?

Emma Ekwall was one of the earliest women to break into the Swedish academic art world. She studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from 1865–1871, and in 1871 became the first woman to receive the Academy’s royal medal—a distinction that marks her as a true pioneer. Throughout her career, Ekwall became known for genre scenes and portraits that portrayed women and children with insight, grace, and dignity. In The Wool Winder, she combines technical finesse with a subtle psychological touch that sets her apart from many of her contemporaries.

This painting is a fine example of Ekwall’s sensitivity to mood and her ability to infuse everyday scenes with poetic meaning. It speaks not only to the domestic world of 19th-century life, but to the emotional depth and quiet agency of women—subjects she returned to again and again with skill and empathy. Today, her work is represented in several museum collections, including Sweden’s Nationalmuseum.

Condition Report
The painting is in very good condition. The colors remain clear and vibrant. The canvas is structurally sound and stable. The painting is presented in a newly gilded frame, which is included in the sale.

Fritz Lindström (1874–1962)

Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees), 1928

oil on panel
unframed 15.5 × 24 cm (6.1 × 9.4 in)
framed: 26 × 34 cm (10.2 × 13.4 in)
signed on the reverse
Frame by Stockholms Förgyllning och Bildhuggeri

Exhibited:
This painting was likely included in Fritz Lindström’s solo exhibition held in Arvika during the Christmas season of 1931. There, he presented grand panoramas from Värmland alongside delicate landscapes from the Pyrenees – a series to which this work likely belongs. Three small paintings were sold at the exhibition.

Essay:
This atmospheric mountain landscape in oil captures the vastness of a sunlit range beneath a subtly clouded sky. Executed with confident brushwork and a delicate modulation of color, the scene conveys both grandeur and serenity within a compact format. Though undated, the painting can be confidently linked to Fritz Lindström’s 1928 journey to the Pyrenees. Recent visual comparisons have allowed us to match the terrain with known Pyrenean features, and the Swiss Alps — which the artist visited later in 1934 — can be ruled out.

Fritz Lindström was a Swedish painter known for his luminous landscapes and perceptive portraits. He studied in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, and Paris at the turn of the century, before settling in Arvika in 1903. There he became a central figure in the Rackstad artists’ colony, a group of painters, sculptors, and craftsmen who sought inspiration in the nature and folk traditions of Värmland. The Rackstad group played a vital role in shaping Swedish national romanticism and helped define a distinctly Nordic visual identity in the early 20th century.
His works are represented in major Swedish museums, including the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Värmlands Museum in Karlstad, and the Rackstad Museum in Arvika, which is dedicated to the artists of the Rackstad colony.

The panel is presented in its original hand-carved and gilded frame, made by Stockholms Förgyllning och Bildhuggeri – a workshop known for its craftsmanship and fine finish. 

Govert Dircksz Camphuysen (Dockum 1623–1672 Amsterdam)

Still Life with Oysters, a Roemer and Other Objects

signed “G. Camphuysen fecit”
oil on panel
unframed 29.8 x 36 cm (11¾ x 14¼ in.)
framed 40 x 46 cm (15 ¾ x 18 ⅛ in)

Provenance:
Ekhof, Björnlunda Parish, Gnesta Municipality, Södermanland, Sweden

Expertise:
Stéphane Pinta, Cabinet Turquin, Paris

Condition:
The painting underwent a comprehensive conservation between 2024 and 2025 under the care of Sonia Leon. The aged varnish was removed, and areas affected by age-related wear were carefully retouched. 

Essay:
This previously unpublished painting was first securely attributed to Govert Dircksz Camphuysen in 1944, following an examination at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm during which the artist’s signature was discovered. As this attribution was not known to Bertil Rapp, the painting is not included in his thorough survey of the artist’s life and work during his Swedish period (1652–63), published in Djur- och Stilleben i karolinskt måleri (1951, pp. 15–26). The work is of considerable art historical importance. Alongside another undated still life by Camphuysen, Still Life with Provisions and a Cat (formerly in the De Geer collection at Finspång Castle), it is considered the earliest known still life in Swedish art history (op. cit., p. 24). These works mark the beginning of still life painting in Sweden. Through them, Camphuysen introduced a new subject matter that would later be taken up by the Swedish-born painter Christian Thum (c. 1625–1686).

Like many artists of his time, Camphuysen was drawn by reports of growing artistic patronage in Sweden and decided to seek opportunity in service of the emerging great power. In the spring of 1652, he left Amsterdam with his family and arrived in Skåne in the autumn. From 1653, he was active at the court of Dowager Queen Maria Eleonora in Nyköping (widow of Gustavus Adolphus and mother of Queen Christina). Records from her account books in 1654 reveal that Camphuysen undertook several journeys on her behalf, including to Arboga and Ulfsunda. In August that year, he returned from Ulfsunda in the dowager queen’s retinue (op. cit., pp. 17–18). That same year, he also executed a large painting, Cows and Peasants (2 x 2 m), now at Övedskloster in Skåne.

Following the dowager queen’s death on March 28, 1655, Camphuysen moved to Stockholm. His name appears regularly in the baptismal records of the German Church there until 1661. According to Old Granberg (Konsthistoriska studier och anteckningar, 1895, p. 46), Camphuysen also served as court painter to King Charles X Gustav after Queen Christina’s abdication. It was during this period that he produced what is perhaps his most famous work, The Royal Castle of Tre Kronor, dated 1661—an iconic topographical view of seventeenth-century Stockholm (Stockholm City Museum). In his final years in Sweden, Camphuysen was employed by Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie at Jacobsdal (now Ulriksdal Palace). Castle records show that he was working on decorative commissions in the great hall there in 1662–63 (Rapp, op. cit., p. 25). He returned to Amsterdam in 1665.

The present painting was formerly part of the collection at Ekhof, an estate with roots in the 16th century. In 1566, Sigvard Månsson Kruse af Elghammar (1578–1624) purchased one of the two tax farms in the village, converting it into a noble estate. His son, General Erik Kruse af Kajbala (1616–1665), was granted tax exemption in 1653 and built a manor originally named Ånhammar. The estate was inherited by his son, Carl Gustaf af Kruse (1651–1732), and remained in the family until 1720. During her husband’s captivity in Russia following the Battle of Poltava, Charlotta Catharina, Carl Kruse’s wife, sold the property. It was then acquired by the widow Belau (or Below), and the estate became known as Ekhammarshof and later Ekhof. It subsequently passed to her son-in-law, Gudmund Adelberth. Her granddaughter, Hedvig Charlotta von Fuhrman, married Ture Johan Bielke in 1768. He had the current main building erected around 1790; it was completed in 1792. Involved in the conspiracy to assassinate King Gustav III, Bielke took his own life by poison to avoid prosecution. His widow remained on the estate until 1795. Later owners include von Baumgarten (1799), Wachtmeister (1816), Edlund (1825), Lönnerberg (1849), and Aspelin (1856). From 1926, the estate belonged to the Björling family, and in 1978 it was acquired by Johan and Lena Rinman. Today, the estate operates under Ekhov Säteri AB.

Follower of Jacob Savery (1566-1603)

Concert of Birds

18th-century
oil on panel
unframed: 42 × 44 cm (16.5 × 17.3 in)
framed: 53 × 54 cm (20.9 × 21.3 in)

Expertise: 
Stéphane Pinta, Cabinet Turquin, Paris. 

Provenance:
Private collection (Segersjö Manor, Sweden).

Condition: 
The painting is in a fine condition, having undergone careful conservation by restorer Sonia Léon (2024–2025). Only very minor retouching is detectable under UV light; the original glaze and pigment survive beautifully. The panel is stable and free of major cracks. It is shown in a richly gilded Baroque-style frame that complements the work; the frame has minor wear and several discreet repairs consistent with its age, but remains robust and handsome.

Essay:
This enchanting wood-panel painting assembles a menagerie of exotic and domestic fowl in a lush landscape, bathed in a gentle shaft of light from an overcast sky. The vivid blue peacock reigns at center atop a sandy mound, flanked by graceful white swans to the left. A proud rooster and a magnificent brown eagle (or similar raptor) stand to the right, while a variety of other birds—a heron or stork, a red-crested fowl, and smaller waterfowl—gather around. Above them, brilliantly colored parrots perch on a branch, adding bursts of red and green. The painter’s precise yet lively brushwork captures every shimmering feather and subtle shift of posture, creating a tableau that feels both natural and deliberately staged.

Artistic Tradition and Symbolism
This bird concert belongs to a well-known Flemish and Dutch tradition of the 17th–18th centuries, where painters depicted assemblies of birds as allegories. Such scenes often celebrate the sense of hearing or musical harmony in nature. In many examples, an owl sits perched like a conductor holding a musical score; here there is no visible owl or notation, but the composition itself — with birds turned as if to listen — suggests a silent music. A ray of light from heaven illuminates the gathering, hinting at divine harmony or a saintly blessing. Legend held that birds of Saint Francis of Assisi (sometimes called “birds of the devil” in old fables) could miraculously sing, and this subject was also linked to devotion to “Our Lady of the Birds.”

Jacob Savery’s Legacy and Similar Works
Jacob Savery (1566–1603) was a Flemish-born painter who settled in the Netherlands and became known for detailed landscapes and animal scenes. He trained his nephew Roelant Savery (1576–1639), who became famous for animal paradise scenes (often including a dodo and exotic birds). Jacob Savery himself (and his circle of followers) produced lush bird-and-animal compositions that influenced later generations.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, many artists in this Northern European tradition painted “concerts of birds.” For example:

• A Circle of Jacob Savery panel (sold at Christie’s) shows exactly this mix of swans, peacocks, parrots, cockatoos and other birds gathered in a landscape.

• Frans Snyders (Antwerp, 1579–1657) created at least five famous Concert of Birds compositions (early 1630s). In Snyders’ works (now in Madrid’s Prado, the Hermitage, Petworth House, etc.), 

• Jan Brueghel the Younger (Antwerp, 1601–1678) painted an Allegory of Sound: Concert of Birds on a small copper (in which many species perch on trees around an owl and sheet music). 

• Pieter Casteels III (Antwerp, 1684–1749) was an 18th-century specialist in flower and bird paintings. In 1727 he signed a large Concert of Birds oil on canvas featuring peacocks, swans, and other exotic birds very similar to ours.
  

Composition, Style, and Notable Features
The painter’s technique balances detail with atmosphere. Feathers are carefully rendered, giving each bird a lifelike presence. Yet the brushstrokes in the foliage and distant trees are freer, creating a soft-focus depth. The color scheme is warm and earthy: russets and ochres in the ground and eagle, deep blues and greens in the peacock, and the brilliant whites of the swans shimmering against the landscape. A glow filters through the clouds, spotlighting the central group – a theatrical effect also found in some Snyders and Casteels compositions.

Unlike many earlier bird-concert paintings which place all birds on branches or classical pedestals, this Follower of Savery version uses the open ground as a stage. The absence of a sheet of music or human figure makes the scene more naturalistic and mystical at once. The overall impression is both decorative (full of exotic variety) and symbolic (the beam of light and attentive poses suggest a shared moment of natural harmony).

Provenance: Segersjö Manor, Sweden
The painting originates from the collection of Segersjö Manor in the province of Närke (Sweden). Segersjö, a country estate built in 1776, was historically the seat of the noble Montgomery (later Montgomery-Cederhielm) family and is noted for its extensive picture gallery and library. Over centuries Segersjö passed through royalty and Swedish nobility (even receiving royal favour from Queen Christina and Karl XII) and was known for its cultivated taste. 

Carl Oscar Borg (1879–1947) Swedish/American

Valley View with Pines and Distant Peaks

gouache on paper
signed
unframed 17.5 × 12.5 cm (6.9 × 4.9 inches)
framed 28 × 23 cm (11 × 9.1 inches)

Provenance: 
A Swedish private collection. 

Essay:
This luminous gouache captures a majestic mountain vista, likely set in California’s Sierra Nevada (possibly Yosemite). Two broad granite peaks with sunlit faces dominate the background, rendered in warm creams and purples. In the middle ground a dense conifer forest blankets the valley slopes, while a sunlit ridge of golden grasses and scattered pines lies in the foreground. Borg’s loose, impressionistic brushwork conveys the crisp mountain atmosphere and the play of light and shadow across rock and tree. Above, an open blue sky with wisps of cloud enhances the sense of high-altitude clarity. The composition draws the eye along a diagonal valley path toward the distant peaks, giving the scene a grand sense of depth and scale despite the painting’s small size. The effect is both vibrant and serene, evoking the expansive beauty of the Western wilderness.

Swedish-born Carl Oscar Borg was a prominent early-20th-century artist of the American West. After coming to California in 1901 and studying with landscape painter William Wendt, Borg became associated with the California Impressionists who celebrated coastal and mountain scenery with bold color and light-filled brushwork. He rose to wider fame by the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and spent decades painting throughout California, Arizona and New Mexico. Borg is best known for his respectful depictions of Native American life and for dramatic Western landscapes – from Yosemite’s granite domes and the Grand Canyon’s vast canyons to New Mexico’s blue-tinged mountains. This gouache exemplifies Borg’s characteristic style: energetic, economy of stroke and a clear, harmonious palette that captures the unique light of the Southwest. He often worked in small studies like this one en plein air, producing many sketches in watercolor and gouache of mountain and desert scenes. Comparable examples in his oeuvre include studies explicitly of Yosemite’s cliffs and sketches titled “Blue Mountains, New Mexico,” all featuring the same luminous distant ridges and sunlit foregrounds. The present work’s sweeping valley and towering peaks reflect Borg’s lifelong fascination with Western vistas. Today, Borg’s paintings are celebrated for their combination of vibrant color and evocative atmosphere – qualities beautifully showcased in this intimate mountain landscape.

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)

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.

Oscar Lycke (1877-1927) Sweden

Fäbod Settlement near Liden, c. 1910

Pencil and crayon on paper
signed OSC. LYCKE
unframed 16.5 x 22.7 cm (6.5 x 8.9 in)
framed 18 x 24 cm (7.1 x 9.4 in)

Provenance:
Acquired directly from Katarina Gunnarsson, who inherited the painting from her mother, Barbro, the daughter of the artist.

Essay:
This exquisitely detailed drawing by Swedish artist Oscar Lycke captures a rustic settlement nestled in the golden highlands of northern Sweden, most likely depicting the traditional summer pastures of Bodåker near Liden, a region where the artist often found inspiration. Though modest in size, the drawing reveals Lycke’s exceptional skill and sensitivity, honed through years of dedicated study – including formal training in draftsmanship.

The landscape is rendered with a dynamic, almost rhythmic energy: the swirl of clouds above feels alive, their motion echoed in the curving lines of the earth below. A cluster of weathered timber buildings stands quietly amid the terrain, bathed in amber light. These structures – barns, cottages, storehouses – evoke the remote “fäbod” settlements once common in the highlands of Jämtland and Dalarna, where families and livestock spent summers in alpine isolation. Lycke's lines, finely layered with colored crayon, give texture and movement to the scene without sacrificing clarity or structure.

Oscar Lycke was a rare talent. Though he exhibited widely in Sweden, it was in New York that he achieved his greatest success. There, critics praised both his subtlety of vision and his technical command. His works speak of a deep affection for the Swedish landscape – not as grandiose or sentimental, but as something intimately known and honestly observed.

This small drawing is a fine example of that vision. It is unassuming but profound, precise but full of feeling. Lycke transforms a fleeting view into something quietly monumental.

Nils Kreuger (1858-1930) Sweden

Twilight at Öland Heath

watercolour on paper 
unframed c. 44×58 cm (17.3×22.8 in)
framed 60×74 cm (23.6×29.1 in)

Authentication: 
Inscribed on verso by Gustaf Jaensson.

Provenance: 
Gift to The Major Edward G. Edholm on his 60th birthday in 1932.

Essay:

This tranquil view shows Öland’s rolling green heath at dusk, with grazing sheep and a lone windmill on the far horizon. The broad sky streaked with soft gold and blue underscores Kreuger’s preference for atmospheric dawn or dusk light. The distant windmill is emblematic of Öland’s rural past – historically the island had nearly 2,000 wooden mills (about 400 remain) dotting its fields – while low stone walls and lush meadow reflect its unique landscape. A single black sheep among the flock adds a poetic accent to the scene, emphasizing the quiet solitude of the countryside.

Location and Setting

The gently undulating terrain and sea-horizon view suggest a site on southern or central Öland near the coast. Kreuger summered on Öland after 1896 (when he moved to Stockholm) and often painted its pastoral ridges. The highest hill (Högsrum, 55 m or 180 ft) lies north of Borgholm, but the softer slopes here hint at the island’s southern farmlands rather than the flat Stora Alvaret. One might speculate he painted near the Kalmar Strait, perhaps on the eastern flank of Borgholm’s grazing lands. Kreuger himself often simply inscribed “ÖLAND” on such works – for example, an 1885 scene is signed “Öland” by the artist. In any case, the exact hilltop remains unidentified, but it is unquestionably Öland: the sheep, scrubby shrubs, and distant mill are all signature motifs of the island.

Comparable Works

Kreuger returned repeatedly to Öland’s pastoral themes. For example, Öland Heath at Sunset (1903) shows a single cow on a golden heath at dusk, very much in the same spirit as this scene. His 1907 piece Sheep in a Dell likewise portrays grazing sheep under a vast sky. Earlier works like Siesta on Öland (1901) and Outlying Land (1901) also evoke the same low horizon and rolling pasture. These Öland landscapes, often signed simply with the place name, emphasize mood over detail – a hallmark of Kreuger’s mature style.

Artist and Collections

Nils Kreuger (1858–1930) was a Swedish landscape painter of the Varberg School. Trained in Stockholm and Paris (at the Académie Colarossi under Laurens), he painted en plein air and favored early morning or evening scenes. By 1900 his palette had lightened and he was using small dot-like brushstrokes, reflecting Impressionist influence. He co-founded the Artists’ Union and helped pioneer a more poetic Nordic style. Today Kreuger’s works hang in major Swedish museums – notably Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum and Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, as well as the Thiel Gallery and the Gothenburg Museum of Art – underscoring his importance in Scandinavian art history.

Emma Ekwall (Swedish, 1838–1925)

Still Life with Apples, c. 1910

oil on canvas
signed E. Ekwall
unframed 33.5 × 46 cm (13.2 × 18.1 in)
framed 43.5 × 57 cm (17.1 × 22.4 in)

Harmony of Light, Color, and Form

Still Life with Apples is an exquisite still-life painting that captures a quiet moment of abundance and peace. On a humble wooden table lies a cluster of ripe apples, their rosy and golden skins aglow in gentle light. In the background, a bouquet of garden flowers emerges softly, adding a delicate burst of color without disturbing the scene’s tranquil balance. Emma Ekwall arranges fruit and flora with meticulous care, creating a harmonious composition that feels both rich in detail and serene in mood. The painterly qualities of light and shadow are on full display: a soft daylight caresses each apple, revealing subtle highlights on their smooth surfaces and casting delicate shadows that give them a warm, round presence. The blossoms behind the fruit are depicted with equal sensitivity – petals and leaves rendered in mild, harmonious hues that complement the apples and unite the foreground with the background. The overall effect is a balance of light, color, and form that invites the viewer to linger. In this stillness of a harvest scene, everyday objects are elevated to something poetic – apples and flowers become a quiet celebration of nature’s fleeting beauty, preserved on canvas with a timeless charm.

Emma Ekwall: A Trailblazing Woman Artist

Emma Ekwall was a pioneering figure in Swedish art during a time when female artists were few. Born in Småland in 1838, she pursued formal art training at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. There, her talent shone so brightly that in 1871 she became the first woman ever to be awarded the Academy’s prestigious Royal Medal – an extraordinary achievement in the 19th century. Ekwall continued to refine her craft beyond Sweden, spending time in artistic hubs like Munich and Leipzig, which enriched her techniques and vision. Throughout her long career, she earned renown for her delicate and precise style. While she is especially celebrated for intimate portraits of children – capturing their innocence with tenderness – and for charming genre scenes of everyday life, Ekwall also had a special affinity for still-life subjects. She often painted flowers and fruit, infusing these compositions with the same warmth and care evident in her figure paintings. Her ability to transform simple, observed details of nature into captivating art is vividly realized in Still Life with Apples, reflecting both her technical skill and her heartfelt appreciation for natural beauty.

Ekwall’s significance as a female artist of her era cannot be overstated. She broke barriers for women in the arts, and her success paved the way for future generations of Scandinavian women artists. Today, Emma Ekwall’s works are treasured in prestigious collections and museums. Her paintings hang in Sweden’s Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and in regional art museums such as Norrköping and Kalmar, affirming her enduring legacy in the canon of Swedish art. Given the era in which she worked, a still life by a woman artist is a genuine rarity – and this adds a layer of meaning to Still Life with Apples. It is not only a beautiful painting of apples and flowers; it is also a cultural treasure, a tangible piece of history from a time when women’s contributions to art were just beginning to gain recognition. 

Still Life with Apples offers not just a glimpse of a tranquil harvest tableau, but also the opportunity to own a piece of art history. This lyrical still life, signed by Emma Ekwall’s hand, embodies the artistic mastery and pioneering spirit of one of Sweden’s noteworthy women artists. Its serene beauty, combined with its historical significance, makes it a truly special find for collectors who appreciate early 20th-century Scandinavian paintings. 

Karl Adloff (1819–1863) German

View of Koblenz from the Rhine towards the Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, 1855

oil on canvas
signed and dated
unframed: 27.5 × 43.5 cm (10.8 × 17.1 inches)
framed: 44 × 59 cm (17.3 × 23.2 inches)

Provenance:
A private Swedish collection

Essay:
Karl Adloff’s View of Koblenz from the Rhine towards the Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein (1855) is a luminous and atmospheric river scene that draws the viewer into a moment of stillness and beauty along the Rhine. The composition is expansive yet intimate: the sandy shoreline curves into the foreground, leading the eye across calm waters where river barges and small figures animate the surface, before resting on the imposing silhouette of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress rising on the opposite bank.

Painted with extraordinary attention to light and reflection, the canvas captures the delicate interplay between architecture, nature, and human presence. The soft glow of the afternoon sky, mirrored in the river below, evokes a sense of quiet dignity and historical weight. Adloff’s sensitive brushwork and eye for detail make this more than just a topographical view—it becomes a poetic meditation on place and time.

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, visible in the distance on the right, stands as a powerful reminder of the region’s strategic importance. With origins dating back to around the year 1000, the present fortress was reconstructed by the Prussians between 1817 and 1834 as part of an ambitious defensive system. Perched high above Koblenz, it was never attacked and remained in military use until 1890. In Adloff’s rendering, the fortress looms peacefully over a thriving river life, its military presence softened by the golden light and the painter’s romantic sensibility.

Karl Adloff was a prominent representative of the Düsseldorf School of painting, celebrated for his cityscapes, coastal views, and architectural subjects. His precision in rendering built environments is matched by a masterful handling of atmosphere and natural light. In this painting, one senses both Adloff’s observational skill and his deep emotional response to the landscape.

Notably, a larger and more formal version of this same view, painted in 1856, was acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and today belongs to The Royal Collection Trust. That work is currently on long-term loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and was first recorded at Osborne House in 1876. The present painting, dated a year earlier, may well have served as the modello or plein-air study from which the royal version was developed. With its freer brushwork and naturalistic light, it possesses a spontaneity and freshness that lends it a unique appeal.

This particular painting has recently been restored by a professional art conservator in Stockholm. It is in very good condition, with expected age-related craquelure and surface wear.

Elias Erdtman (1862-1945) Sweden

Boy in a Meadow (1885) 

oil on canvas laid board
unframed 13 x 28.5 cm (5.1 x 11.2 inches) 
framed 24.5 x 39 cm (approx. 9.6 x 15.4 inches) 
Initialed "E" 

Essay:

In this intimate landscape study, a young boy lies face-down among the tall grasses of a sunlit meadow. Elias Erdtman painted this serene scene in 1885 during a stay in the coastal village of Heyst-sur-Mer, Belgium – a period when he was producing numerous plein air landscape studies. The composition exudes a quiet, pastoral charm: the child’s figure is nestled naturally into the lush green field, conveying a sense of innocence and the simple joys of summer. 
Erdtman’s brushwork is confident yet delicate, capturing the play of light and shadow across the grass and the boy’s form with remarkable immediacy. Despite its small scale, the painting offers a vivid slice of life, transporting the viewer to a tranquil moment under the open sky.

Elias Erdtman’s Artistic Journey:
Elias Erdtman (1862–1945) was a Swedish artist known for his evocative landscapes and keen eye for nature’s subtleties. After formal training at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm, he traveled extensively across Europe to refine his craft. These travels brought him to artistic hubs like Germany, Belgium, and France, where he absorbed new influences and techniques. In 1886, Erdtman joined the thriving artists’ colony at Grez-sur-Loing in France – a vibrant gathering place for international painters – immersing himself in a creative exchange of ideas. During these formative years abroad, he greatly developed his technique and artistic vision, especially in capturing light and atmosphere directly from nature. This cosmopolitan experience is reflected in Boy in a Meadow. The painting’s naturalistic detail and luminous atmosphere showcase the artist’s refined plein air technique, honed on foreign soil but applied with heartfelt sensibility to a humble rural subject. Erdtman’s travels and studies endowed him with a broadened perspective that shines through in the work’s composition and execution. His ability to infuse a simple outdoor scene with both realism and warmth became a hallmark of his style – one that he carried into his later career painting the landscapes of his native Sweden. 

Notably, Elias Erdtman’s works are held in the collections of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and other Swedish art museums.

Axel Lindman (1848–1930) Sweden

Evening Sun, View of Visby, c. 1896

oil on canvas
35 x 28 cm (13 3/4 x 11 in)
45.5 x 38.5 cm (17 7/8 x 15 1/8 in)

Provenance:
The artist’s estate.
Fritzes Kungl. Hovbokhandel, Stockholm.

Essay:
This evocative evening view of Visby by Axel Lindman captures Visby in the warm, fading light of the setting sun. Rendered with atmospheric sensitivity, the silhouette of Visby’s medieval skyline—its church towers and city walls—emerges softly through a hazy glow. The path in the foreground, leading the viewer's eye toward the distant city, invites a contemplative gaze into the past.

Lindman painted a nearly identical composition in daylight the same year, 1896. That version was sold at Stockholms Auktionsverk on December 4, 1995 (lot 107).

About the Artist
Axel Lindman was born in Öregrund in 1848 and studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from 1872 to 1875, followed by several formative years in France and Italy. He became a member of the Academy in 1897 and exhibited with both the Opponenterna and the Konstnärsförbundet. Early in his career, Lindman was known for refined studies of rural France and for intimate coastal and garden scenes from Gotland. After settling in Stockholm, he turned his attention to cityscapes and the surrounding landscapes, developing a lyrical, light-infused style.

Lindman’s work is held in several major Swedish collections, including the Nationalmuseum, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Norrköping Art Museum, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

About the Setting
Visby, the medieval town on the island of Gotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its remarkably preserved city wall and Gothic church ruins. Long a source of inspiration for Swedish artists, the town's historical ambiance and unique light conditions have drawn painters since the 19th century. Lindman's interpretation of Visby stands out for its mood of quiet solemnity and the poetic play of light and shadow.

Carl Johansson (1863–1944) Sweden

Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 1894

oil on board
signed Carl Johansson Puerto Orotava Tenerifa -94
unframed 21.5 x 33 cm (8 1/2 x 13 in)
framed 32 x 43 cm (12 5/8 x 16 7/8 in)

Condition:
Gracefully aged over more than a century, the surface shows a fine pattern of vertical craquelure consistent with its age. The colors remain bright and clear, and the painting is ready to hang.

Essay:
This small oil painting on board (21.5 x 33 cm) is a rare early work by Swedish landscape painter Carl Johansson (1863–1944). Painted during the artist’s 1894 travels to the Canary Islands, it depicts a sunlit coastal view in Puerto de la Orotava, Tenerife (present-day Puerto de la Cruz). 

Johansson’s approach in this tropical scene is markedly different from the style of his later, more celebrated Nordic landscapes, making this painting a true rarity in his oeuvre. Just a few years before, Johansson had been in Paris absorbing the innovations of the French Impressionists, and their influence shines through here. His brushwork is loose and confident, capturing the intense Atlantic light and lush vegetation of Tenerife with lively, immediate strokes. The color palette is unusually luminous: warm golden tones of sun and earth are offset by dashes of cool blues and violets — a clear nod to the techniques of Monet and Pissarro that inspired the young artist. The overall impression is one of vivid atmosphere and spontaneity, as Johansson revels in the exotic scenery far from his native Sweden.

Such early works from Johansson’s journeys abroad are exceedingly scarce. Decades after this piece was painted, the Swedish Artists’ Association (Svenska Konstnärernas Förening) held a retrospective of Johansson’s work in Stockholm in 1941, and notably included a handful of paintings from his 1894 Tenerife sojourn. The exhibition catalogue listed pieces titled “Strand” (“Beach”) and “Hamnen i Puerto-Orotava” (“Harbor in Puerto Orotava”) among those on display. It remains uncertain whether the present painting was one of the works exhibited, but its subject and inscription align suggestively with those entries, hinting that this could indeed be one of the rare Tenerife scenes that so captivated audiences at the retrospective.

For the collector or connoisseur, this delightful Puerto Orotava painting offers a unique glimpse into a formative chapter of Carl Johansson’s artistic journey. It stands as both a beautiful, sunlit coastal composition in its own right and a fascinating historical artifact — an early testament to Johansson’s exploratory spirit and his embrace of Impressionist color and light.

Mauritz Lindström (1849-1923) Sweden

Winter Landscape at Dusk

oil on canvas
signed AM Lindström
unframed 128 × 75 cm (50.4 × 29.5 in)
framed 143 × 91 cm (56.3 × 35.8 in)

Condition report:
The painting has recently undergone professional conservation by a leading art restorer. The old, yellowed varnish has been carefully removed, revealing a remarkable new depth and contrast in the composition. The colors now appear significantly clearer and more vibrant, enhancing the overall presence of the work. The painting is in very good condition. The frame is gilded in gold leaf and crafted from Italian wood.

Essay:
A leading artist in Swedish landscape painting around the turn of the century, Arvid Mauritz Lindström was celebrated for his evocative depictions of nature in all its seasonal moods. In Winter Landscape at Dusk, he captures the quiet grandeur of the Nordic winter with remarkable sensitivity to light, atmosphere, and texture.

The composition is anchored by a forested cliff, where snow-covered trees cling to the edge above a frozen lake. In the foreground, gnarled branches and rugged rocks seem to emerge from the canvas, lending the painting a vivid, almost tactile three-dimensionality. Despite the wintry setting, the work is rich in color—from the cool silvers and deep greens of the woods to the luminous streaks of gold and blue breaking through the dusk sky.

A faint winter path can be seen stretching across the ice, subtly suggesting human presence in this otherwise untouched wilderness. Lindström’s skillful brushwork and layered palette infuse the landscape with quiet drama and depth, exemplifying why he remains one of Sweden’s most admired interpreters of natural scenery.

Sam Uhrdin (1886-1964) Sweden 

Winter Landscape, 1910

oil on canvas
signed and dated
unframed: 35 x 45 cm (13 3/4 x 17 3/4 in)
framed: 44 x 54 cm (17 3/8 x 21 1/4 in)
Handcrafted black frame by Stockholm Förgyllning & Bildhuggeri.

Essay: 

This atmospheric landscape from 1910 offers a rare glimpse into a lesser-known side of Sam Uhrdin’s work. Painted before his formal art education, the canvas reveals an emerging artist with a natural command of composition and mood. The dramatic sky—swirling with grey, white, and blue clouds—dominates the scene, stretching over a quiet, snow-covered plain marked by low vegetation. The result is a powerful and contemplative image of the Nordic landscape, full of space, light, and early spring tension.

Sam Uhrdin (1886–1964) began his career as a decorative painter and travelled to America in 1906 to work as a sign painter and upholsterer. After returning to Sweden via London and Paris in 1909, his artistic talent was recognized, and with support from local patrons, he was admitted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in 1911. His studies were short-lived, however, as portrait commissions soon began to dominate his time. He would go on to become one of Sweden’s most prolific portraitists, depicting figures such as Prime Minister Nils Edén and King Gustav V.

Uhrdin is best known for his depictions of life in Dalarna—folk interiors, portraits, and regional landscapes—but this early work stands apart. It reflects an artist at a crossroads, still discovering his voice, and already showing remarkable sensitivity to atmosphere and form.

Julius Kronberg (1850-1921) Sweden

The Poor Girl (Den fattiga flickan), 1873

oil on canvas
signed J.Kronberg
unframed: 20.5 x 16 cm (8 1/8 x 6 1/4 in)
framed: 31 x 26 cm (12 1/4 x 10 1/4 in)
original frame: 43 x 38 cm (16 7/8 x 15 in)

Possibly exhibited as Den fattiga flickan (1873) at Kronberg’s memorial exhibition at Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, in 1923, catalouge no 15.

Essay:
This small, tenderly rendered painting— titled The Poor Girl (Den fattiga flickan)—offers a rare glimpse into Julius Kronberg’s early period, when he was still exploring the genre motifs popular among Nordic and continental painters in the mid-19th century. The work depicts a young girl seated on the steps outside a rustic home, counting a few coins with quiet concentration. Her modest clothing, wool-lined jacket, green apron, and pink headscarf, together with the small wooden box and scattered coins, suggest a narrative of economic modesty, if not hardship. Yet there is dignity and softness in her expression, as if Kronberg aimed to portray not mere poverty, but the contemplative humanity of a young person in a fleeting moment of solitude.

The panel is modest in scale—only 20.5 x 16 centimeters—and painted with careful, restrained detail. The brushwork is fine but not overly polished, and the subdued lighting gives the scene a quiet, domestic atmosphere. While the palette is earthy, the composition is subtly harmonized: the pale pink of the scarf, the deep red of the bodice, and the soft green apron create a visual balance that enhances the intimacy of the scene. A small triangular box lies open by her feet, further inviting the viewer into a private moment.

Painted in the 1870s, this work may have been completed during Kronberg’s time in Düsseldorf, where he studied and absorbed the influence of the Düsseldorf School’s narrative realism. The German city was, at the time, a thriving hub for academic painters who favored sentimental genre scenes and rural subjects. The emotional restraint and anecdotal realism of The Poor Girl align with this tradition, while also pointing to the Nordic interest in moral clarity and social observation.

Unlike Kronberg’s later and more monumental works—grand allegorical and mythological scenes filled with classical references—this painting reflects a quieter, more introspective dimension of his practice. It suggests an artist still forming his identity, attentive to the lives of ordinary people and the subtleties of expression in humble settings.