Bengt Nordenberg - Children by the Ice Hole, c. 1846

Bengt Nordenberg (1822-1902) Swedish

Children by the Ice Hole, c. 1846

oil on canvas
signed and dated B. Nordenberg 18(4?)6
canvas size 10.90 x 13.89 inches (27.7 x 35.3 cm)
frame 16.73 x 19.68 inches (42.5 x 50 cm)

Essay:

This evocative winter scene by Bengt Nordenberg captures a quiet moment of everyday life: two children stand on the frozen edge of a river or lake, watching as their mother washes clothes in an ice hole. A simple wooden sled rests nearby, and the bundled figures are framed by the soft winter light and the glistening ice—a testament to the artist's early skill in conveying atmosphere and detail.

Painted around 1846, this work likely dates from Nordenberg’s formative years in Stockholm, shortly after he arrived to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. It offers early evidence of his talent for landscape and genre painting, with a careful rendering of textures and human expression.

Bengt Nordenberg was born in Blekinge in 1822 and grew up in poverty. He began his career as a painter's apprentice in Sölvesborg, eventually making his way to Stockholm to pursue formal training. In 1851, he moved to Düsseldorf, where he studied under Theodor Hildebrandt and later Adolf Tidemand, becoming associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. A travel grant in 1856 took him to Paris and Rome, though he soon returned to Düsseldorf, where he would live and work for the remainder of his life.

Best known for his vivid depictions of Swedish folklife, Nordenberg also portrayed middle- and upper-class society, as well as religious subjects including altarpieces. His work is represented in major Swedish collections, including the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, and the Norrköping Art Museum.