The present painting is a repetition by Michael Ancher of the very popular motif dated 1899 and exhibited the same year at Charlottenborg as lot no. 6. That one sold at Bruun Rasmussen auction 811, 2009 no. 394 for 1.000.000 DKK.

Several of the well-known fishermen are seen in the painting, from left to right: 1: Peter Svendsen. 2: Ole Svendsen. 3: Søren Kruse. 4: Ole Malmstrøm. 5: Søren Lønstrup. 6: Mads Bagh Sørensen. 7: Jens Bagh Sørensen. 8: Chr. Christoffersen (“Pys”). 9: P. K: Nielsen. 10: “Båd-Anders”. 11: Chr. Hansen [?]. 12: Niels Gajhede [?].

Provenance : Shipbroker Marius Nielsen's home in Ryvang north of Copenhagen. A magnificent villa photographed and described in the women's magazine “Tidens Kvinder” 1942 (in Danish): “There are reminiscences from Italy with white marble statues, from France with the curving lines and the gold of the rococo furniture, from the East with purple coloured lighting and in the middle of it all a spray of salt water with fresh marine paintings by the best names”.

Michael Ancher's “Fishermen returning from the North Beach” had a distinctive place on the wall in the middle room. “The drawing room could be called” the blue room“. It is quite calm and further softened by the large black piano. Above the sofa hangs Ancher's famous picture with the fishermen who return home and on a small sleek table two orchids branches bend gracefully for the smallest breath” (see reproduction from “Tidens Kvinder” on www.bruun-rasmussen.dk).