Lot 220
  • 220

Vilhelm Hammershøi

Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Vilhelm Hammershøi
  • Fra Frederiksholms Kanal (View of Frederiksholm Canal)
  • oil on canvas
  • 46.3 by 55.3cm., 18¼ by 21¾in.

Exhibited

Berlin, Grosse Berliner Kunst-Ausstellung, 1900, no. 1705

Literature

Poul Vad, Hammershoi: Vaerk og liv, Denmark, 1988, p. 72, catalogued & illustrated 

Condition

This condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, Hamish Dewar Ltd. Fine Art Conservation, 14 Masons Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. Structural Condition The original canvas has been lined and this is ensuring an even and secure structural support. Paint Surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows minimal scattered retouchings, the most significant of which are: 1) An area in the balustrade in the foreground measuring approximately 3 x 4 cms, 2) spots and lines on the roadways and also along the lower horizontal framing edge, and 3) small spots in the sky by the left and right framing edges and further very small retouchings around the framing edges. It should be stressed that all these retouchings are of minimal size. Summary The painting therefore appears to be in good and stable condition and no further work is required.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Painted in 1892, Hammershøi's enigmatic view is of Copenhagen's Frederiksholm canal, constructed in the 17th Century. Christian IV's Brewery was originally part of the city's fortifications. Modernised by the king in 1608, it stands out in the composition against the canal, which opens into Copenhagen harbour. 

The quayside depicted by the artist is devoid of people, the human presence limited to that of the meditative observer, gazing upon the scene suffused with a  '...meagre Danish winter light, the light of grey weather without colour warmth, or gaiety, albeit so rich in nuance...' (Hanne Finsen and Inge Vebeke Raaschou-Nielsen, Vilhelm Hammershøi, En Retrospektiv udstilling, Copenhagen, 1981, p. 16).

The lack of narrative and the sense of remoteness lent by the muted palette in Hammershøi's view illustrate a mood instead of depicting a moment. As in the artist's celebrated interior views, narrative is subordinate to atmosphere. The haunting stillness of the canal view is barely warmed by the rusty reds of the buildings lining the water, and the scene is shrouded by a fog of introspection in the artist's subtly nuanced colour scheme.  Hammershøi was exposed to the work of his contemporary and role model, James McNeill Whistler, when the artists exhibited together in 1889 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. The influence of Whistler's subdued palette, delicate chiaroscuro and melancholy atmosphere as seen in his Nocturnes (fig. 1), is evident in the present work.

Although largely overlooked by the Danish critics and public during his lifetime, Hammershøi exhibited in France, Italy, Germany, England and the United States, and his work was appreciated by lights of early modernism such as the artist Auguste Renoir, the Russian ballet master Serge Diaghilev, and the eminent art critic Théodore Duret, who spoke of the artist as a 'master of the foremost rank.' 

This work has been agreed for inclusion in the exhibition Vilhelm Hammershøi, to be held in London at the Royal Academy of Arts from 28 June to 7 September 2008 and at the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo from 30 September to 7 December 2008.


FIG. 1, J. M. Whistler, Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Old Battersea Bridge, Tate Britain, London