The motif comes from Norse mythology. It is told how Gefion, with the help of her sons, plowed the island of Zealand free of Scania. According to the mythology Gefion is therefore seen as the creator of Zealand. In some versions of the myth, the sons have been transformed into oxen, as can be seen at the Gefion fountain. It was created by the Danish sculptor Anders Bundgaard and is located at the end of Amaliegade opposite Kastellet (the Citadel) in Copenhagen.

Frølich made several different versions of the myth in different media, such as the large ceiling painting at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød from 1882, where the sons have also been transformed into oxen. In the first folder of his graphic work “Nordens Guder I Billeder” (Illustrations of Norse Gods) from 1874, the motif of the painting seen here is very similar to the etching from the folder, and one must therefore assume, that the painting is approximately from the same period.

Provenance: Bruun Rasmussen auction 298, 1973 no. 79.