This fine late 19th-century oil painting by Danish artist Frants Henningsen (1850-1908) depicts a young woman reading in a beautiful drawing room.

Seated upon a chair with red upholstery, she’s immersed in literature. Her black dress suggests a period of mourning. Around her, the room is tastefully decorated. Not at all ostentatious, but remarkably cohesive. On the left, a gilt-framed portrait hangs from a picture rail - it’s an older lady wearing a bonnet. Perhaps it’s her grandmother. While on the easel, there’s an oval photograph, which could be her mother.

Henningsen was a master of interior scenes and sought influence from the painters of yesteryear. His style was distinctly conservative and he was an advocate of traditional family values. His wife Thora (nee Vermehren) was the daughter of Frederik Vermehren (1823-1910) a professor at the Royal Academy. Her brothers, Gustav and Sophus, were also successful artists.

Give this painting some time and it’ll reveal a little more. Note the exquisite rendering of the large oil painting, which is reminiscent of works by Carl Bille (1815-1898). Note too the foreshortening of the chandelier and the treatment of the gilt architrave reflected in the mirror.

Monogrammed/dated lower left and held within a gilt frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 24” x 28½” / 61cm x 72cm
Year of creation: 1889
Labels & Inscriptions: Frame maker’s label on reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, Denmark.
Condition: Artwork presents well. Fine craquelure but the paint is stable. Frame with some light wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £35,000

Frants Henningsen

Frants Henningsen was an accomplished Danish painter of fine genre scenes, interiors and landscapes. He trained initially at Christian Vilhelm Nielsen's drawing school and later at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He’s represented at the Statens Museum for Kunst.

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