A moody interior scene depicting a lady smoking by Danish artist, Herman Vedel (1875-1948). What’s on her mind? Do you see a worried woman nervously waiting for news? Or perhaps a lady plotting her next move?

Vedel had such a gift for capturing unusually tense atmospheres. Like many of his Danish contemporaries, such as Vilhelm Hammershoi (1864-1916), he often produced scenes that raised more questions than they answered.

We particularly love the way he’s used one of the gilt frames to draw attention to the woman’s expression. It’s an interesting technique.

Aside from scenes, Herman Vedel was considered to be one of the leading Danish portraitists of his generation. He trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and many of his works are held in public collections. His most well-known, ‘Negotiating the 1915 Constitution’, hangs prominently in Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen.

The painting is monogrammed in the lower right and housed within a gilt frame that’s probably the original.

Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 23” x 25½” / 59cm x 65cm
Year of creation: c. 1900
Provenance: Denmark
Condition: Very good following a light restoration. Frame with some general wear including surface losses.
Artist’s auction highlight: £3,758 achieved for ‘Interior’ in 1990.