Frits Thaulow Norwegian, 1847-1906

Francis Jourdain (acquired from the artist)
Acquired by the present owner circa 1990

Painted circa 1897, the subject of the present work is taken from the surroundings of the church of St. Jacques in Dieppe where the artist was living in the period 1894-98. The work was almost certainly dedicated to his artist friend Francis Jourdain (1876-1958) who probably advised Thaulow on his coloured etchings from about 1903.

Moonlit scenes such as the present work were a speciality of the artist during the 1890s and they were, to some extent, influenced by the work of James McNeill Whistler, which Thaulow greatly admired.

While the dedication is from the hand of the artist, Vidar Poulsson has suggested that the work may have been signed by Thaulow's widow after his death in 1906. In order to avoid breaching the terms of his contract with his dealer who insisted during the latter years of the artist's life that all works produced should pass through him, it appears that the artist was afraid of signing in the normal manner works he did not intend to pass through his dealer.