Wilhelm Marstrand (b. Copenhagen 1810, d. s.p. 1873)
A reclining nude. Unsigned. Oil on paper laid on canvas. 37 × 31 cm.
Provenance: William Doyle, New York, auction 26 June 2024, lot 57.
Following the death of his wife Margrethe (Grethe) in 1867, Marstrand revealed a new and more expansive conception of love in a series of paintings depicting voluptuous nude women.
The painter Kristian Zahrtmann (1843–1917) wrote in the newspaper Riget in 1910 (in Danish): “We often spoke of what he must be painting in his studio on the other side of the Academy gate. [...] We wondered what his Judgement of Paris, his Adam and Eve, and his Venus Rising from the Sea might look like. It was only after his death that we came to know these paintings. All criticism fell silent – we admired.”
Marstrand had apparently kept these paintings to himself, and they only became publicly known when they were sold at the auction of his estate after his death. The auction records list more than 25 paintings depicting nude men and women (Exhibition catalogue: “Nivaagaard viser Marstrand”, Nivaagaard Collection, 1992–1993, p. 218).
The present painting may be one of the aforementioned works sold at the auction of the artist’s estate in October 1873, lots 217–247. Several works in this section are described as “A reclining woman”.
Condition report available on request
Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.