Vilhelm Hammershøi

Julius Hertz
Peter Julius Hertz (Director of the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, and son of the above)
Sale: Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 1 June 1999, lot 318
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Kunstforeningen 1916
Stockholm, Liljevalck, 1919

Sophus Michaëlis and Alfred Bramsen, Vilhelm Hammershøi, Copenhagen, 1918, no. 90, catalogued (as Sovekammer)

Original canvas. Overall the condition is good, with very little retouching. Under UV light there is a 3cm vertical line of inpainting addressing a small puncture at the foot of the top of the bed (patched on the reverse). There is what appears to be either slight paint shrinkage or discoloured varnish along the lower left edge (not visible in the catalogue illustration). There are scattered fine lines of craquelure visible on the surface. Held in a modern gold-painted stepped frame with a nameplate.
"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."

Painted in 1890, the present work displays a remarkable intimacy and informality, and provides a fascinating insight into the creative process underlying Hammershøi's more studied oils. The light, free brushstrokes are in marked contrast to the measured calm of his large-scale oils and in this sense reveals something of Hammershøi's personality which is so concealed in many of his finished canvases.

Interior, with its bright light and breezy atmosphere, exudes a certain playfulness and joie de vivre, reflective of Hammershøi's personal happiness and professional success at the time. By 1890, his career was on the rise: he had just returned from Paris, where he was represented by four works in the Danish section of the 1889 Exposition Universelle, and on a visit to Copenhagen in July, the French critic and collector Théodore Duret expressed his admiration for Hammershøi's paintings, preferring them to those of any other contemporary Danish painter. And on a personal level Hammershøi was in high spirits following his engagement in June to Ida Ilsted, whom he married the following year.

A related oil sketch of the same room was sold in these rooms on 13 June 2006.