Exhibited: The Nivaagaard Collection, “Venskabsportrætter fra Rom”, 2016, Cat. No. 46, mentioned p. 68, ill. p. 69.

Provenance: Circolo Scandinavo / Skandinavisk forening i Rom (Inv. No. A 38).

During his time at The Royal Insitute of Art in Stockholm from 1857 to 1861, the Swedish painter Gotthard Werner specialized in history painting. After graduating, he embarked on an extensive study trip that ended in Italy, where to Werner would develop a close relationship.

During his study trip, Werner converted to Catholicism, and he increasingly began to explore religious themes in his artistic practice. As a newly converted Catholic, Werner felt at home in Italy, and his interest in religious motifs was further intensified after his encounter with Rome.

Gotthard Werner had a passion for travelling, and during his study trip, he had also visited France and Spain. Despite persistent financial instability, he continued to travel for much of his life, returning to Rome and Italy several times. In the late 1890s, he permanently returned to Rome, where he lived until his death in 1903. Therefore, Bernhard Östermann's portrait of Werner from 1899 is from some of the last years of his life.