A fine early 20th-century Danish genre scene depicting an elderly couple examining a haul of fresh eggs. There’s an understated beauty to this gentle Danish painting and it captures a glimpse into everyday rural life.

A freshly boiled pot is placed on the table as the couple park down for their daily routine. A gentleman with a brown coat is peering at a chicken's egg, while his wife sits across from him and quietly assists.

Gustav Vermehren (1863-1931) was born into a creative family and destined to become an artist. His father, Frederik (1823-1910) was an accomplished painter - well admired for his idealised rural scenes that romanticised the working classes. As a child, Gustav would’ve been taught to draw by his father which surely provided the catalyst for his formal education.

It’s interesting to note that throughout his career he stayed true to his father’s style. When confronted with the new freer approach of the French impressionists, he rejected it despite frequent accusations of being old fashioned.

As you can imagine, during the later part of the 19th-century, it became fashionable to adopt a looser brushstroke and flood your canvases with light. Yet Gustav, along with his brother Sophus (1866-1950), remained steadfast to their father’s ideals.

The painting is signed/dated in the lower right and housed within a frame that’s possibly the original.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 23” x 20” / 58cm x 50cm
Year of creation: 1930
Provenance: Denmark
Condition: Very good. Recently cleaned and relined. Frame with light wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £10,900 achieved for ‘Distracted’ (52cm x 74cm) at Christie’s in 1990.