This expansive late 19th-century marine painting by Swedish artist Ludvig Richarde (1862-1929) depicts a Danish steam frigate off the coast of Copenhagen.
Richarde was never content to merely record what stood before him. Throughout his oeuvre, he shows himself to be a painter of intention - a man who used the sea not only as a subject but as a language. Here, this broad pale view presents far more than a simple coastal observation - it reveals an artist communicating ideas beneath the surface, thinking in symbols as much as in waves and rigging.
At first glance, it's a handsome and atmospheric seascape. Look closer, however, and the scene becomes a meditation on transition, national identity, and the shifting technologies of the late 19th century.
Richarde arranges the water like a stage on which three eras of maritime history appear together.
To the right, a Danish steam frigate flies the bright Dannebrog with quiet pride. Denmark in the 1880s was redefining itself after earlier political losses, embracing modernisation and renewal, particularly at sea. Richarde - a young Swede absorbing these influences in Copenhagen - gives this vessel centre stage. Its iron hull, towering masts and faint plume of steam speak of ambition: the confident stride of a nation looking forward.
In the foreground, by contrast, a small working fishing craft cleaves the water in patched sails and weather-worn timbers. Here is the sea as generations have known it - labour, subsistence, unbroken routine. Richarde paints these fishermen with tenderness, acknowledging the quiet persistence of daily life beneath the sweep of naval progress.
And in the distant haze to the left, a traditional, full-rigged sailing frigate drifts into near-silhouette. No smoke. No modern machinery. It represents the age of pure sail already receding - visible, dignified, but slipping gently toward the horizon.
One painting, three ships, three centuries whispering to one another.
Beyond the steam frigate, low Scandinavian mountains settle under a soft sky, providing a sense of grounding and permanence. Empires shift, fleets modernise, but the coastline endures.
Despite the technical precision of the ships, the work remains atmospheric and lyrical. The sea rolls in heavy Nordic greens; gulls skim its surface; flashes of ochre sails punctuate the horizon. Even the delicate tonal shifts between cloud and water feel intentional, guiding the eye subtly through Richarde’s narrative of change.
That he painted this at just twenty-two is remarkable. Already, he understood how to use composition to express an idea, how to let vessels become metaphors, and how to balance accuracy with emotion. This isn’t merely a marine picture - it's a thoughtful reflection on what is passing, what is emerging, and what remains constant.
For the collector, it stands as an evocative historical seascape and an insightful early work by a talented Swedish marine painter finding his voice amid the evolving tides of the late 19th century.
Signed/dated in the lower right and held in a later gilt frame.
Learn more about Ludvig Richarde in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 51½” x 29½” / 131cm x 75cm
Year of creation: 1884
Provenance: Private collection, Sweden.
Condition: Cleaned. Faint stretcher marks. One patched repair. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £15,076 for ‘Skeppet Wachtmeisters Strid Mot En Ryskt Eskader 1719’, Oil on canvas, Stockholm, 1 December 2005.
Our reference: BRV2228
