From 1872 to 1875, Ludovica Thornam attended Vilhelm Kyhn's school of drawing and painting for women, as did her sister, the floral painter Emmy Thornam (1852–1935), and many other female artists at the time. In 1887, the two sisters received a three-year scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, which enabled them to travel to Rome and Paris together to further their education. Ludovica studied with, among others, the French painter Jules Lefebvre (1834–1912) at the Académie Julian and also with the painter Hector Leroux (1829–1900). Like Emilie Mundt and Marie Luplau, Ludovica made her debut in 1878 at Charlottenborg, and in the years 1889 to 1896 she exhibited at the Salon in Paris. In 1893, Ludovica and Emmy Thornam held a separate exhibition at the art dealer Stochholm in Bredgade – solo exhibitions like this with female artists was a rarity at the time. At their exhibition, both artists sold works to the royal family.

Ludovica was one of the few female artists in the late 1800s who was able to make a living from her art.

Literature: Eva Pohl, “En plads i solen - kvindelige danske kunstnere mellem 1850 og 1930” (A place in the sun – female Danish artists between 1850 and 1930), 2007, mentioned p. 49. Eva Pohl, “Gennembrud. Kvinder i dansk kunst fra 1600-tallet frem til i dag” (Breakthrough. Women in Danish art from the 17th century until today), 2021, mentioned p. 88. Pohl mentions the present painting as a masterpiece and writes among other things (in Danish): “… and in Paris she developed a more liberated style, inspired by the French art scene. Here she painted a portrait of her sister in 1887, as well as the museum motif ‘Venus de Milo’ (1891), presumably from the Louvre, where the depiction concentrated on the sculptural, luminous female figure in the museum space.”

Provenance: Bruun Rasmussen Vejle auction 90, 2003 no. 264.