Constantin Hansen (b. Rome 1804, d. Frederiksberg 1880)
“Thor iføres Kvindeklæder og Freya er ifærd med at kaste et Slør over ham, for at han forklædt som Brud kan skuffe Jætten Thrym, der har forlangt Freya til Brud, imod til Gjengjæld at tilbagegive Thors Hammer, som er kommen i hans Vold. Et Par af Freyas Terner hjælpe ved Paaklædningen, medens Loke tirrende opægger den harmfulde Thor”. Thor is dressed in women's clothing and Freya is about to throw a veil over him, so that he, disguised as a bride, can deceive the giant Thrym, who has demanded Freya as his bride, in return for returning Thor's hammer, which has fallen into his hands. A couple of Freya's maids help with the dressing, while Loki, teasingly, incites the angry Thor. 1865–1867. Signed C. H. Oil on canvas. 74×95 cm.
Emil Hannover, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of Constantin Hansen, 1901, no. 510, mentioned p. 264.
Exhibited: Charlottenborg 1866 no. 63. The Scandinavian Art Exhibition in Stockholm, summer 1866. Kunstforeningen, “Udstillingen af C.C. Constantin Hansens malerier”, 1897 no. 225.
Literature: “Kunst i Privateje”, vol. II, 1945, mentioned and ill. p. 144. Bjarne Jørnæs, “Constantin Hansen - guldalderens klassiker” in the exhibition catalogue “Constantin Hansen”, Thorvaldsen's Museum & Aarhus Kunstmuseum, 1991, mentioned p. 30.
Provenance: Mrs Councillor of State Hanne Heyman (1901). Her estate auction 13 April 1917 no. 73. Mrs Rentier Ludvig Jensen (1945). Kunsthallen auction 483, 1997 no. 120, ill. p. 25.
The motif of the painting comes from the tale “Thor's Wedding” (also known as “Trymskvadet” from the Elder Edda) from Norse mythology. In “Thor's Wedding”, Thor wakes up to discover that his hammer, Mjölnir, has been stolen. The thief is the giant Thrym, who demands the goddess Freya as his bride in exchange for the hammer. To get the hammer back, Thor reluctantly dresses up as Freya in a wedding dress and travels to the realm of the giants with Loki, who is disguised as his bridesmaid. At the feast, the giants are amazed by “Freya's” unusual behavior - she eats and drinks like a wild animal. Loki explains everything away, and when Mjölnir is brought out as a wedding gift, Thor grabs it and reveals his true identity. He immediately kills Thrym and all the giants.
Constantin Hansen made several works with motifs from Norse mythology, including “Ægirs gæstebud” (Ægir's Feast) from 1857 (The National Gallery of Denmark, Inv. No. KMS939). In the same period as the present painting, Constantin Hansen made the painting “Thors rejse til Jotunheim i Selskab med Loke samt de to Sødskende Thjalf og Roskva” (Thor's Journey to Jotunheim in the company of Loki and the two siblings Thjalfi and Roskva) (Hannover no. 509), which was also exhibited in 1866 and a part of the collection of Mrs Councillor of State Hanne Heyman.
Condition report available on request
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