Joseph Theodor Hansen Danish, 1848-1912

Sale: Sotheby's London, 25th March 1987, lot 13
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Souvenirs of the Grand Tour

The following group of seven works (lots 332-338) by Joseph Theodor Hansen from a distinguished private collection reads like the visual diary of the Grand Tourist, encompassing views of Spain in the west to Greece in the east, Germany in the north to Rome and Florence in the south. Stylistically, Hansen carried on the traditions of Danish Golden Age painting, his precise technique and luminous palette harking back to his illustrious predecessors Christoffer Eckersberg and Constantin Hansen. Yet in his prolific output of topographical views he he was also responding to a very modern market for painted souvenirs of Europe's cities and historical sites, fuelled by growing tourism among the new middle classes.