A charming 19th-century oil on canvas depicting a watermill tucked away in a picturesque forest. It evokes the sounds of running water cascading over slippery rocks and the gentle melody of birdsong.

The artist, Johannes Boesen (1847-1916) was highly regarded during his lifetime and won numerous awards. He was fortunate enough to train under the great P. C. Skovgaard (1817-1875) - one of the foremost Danish Golden Age painters.

Boesen's style is rooted in the Danish Golden Age tradition yet his brushwork is a little looser than his mentor’s. Like many Danish painters of his generation, his work became more impressionistic towards the end of the 19th-century.

Several of his paintings have sold through the leading auction houses and here are a few examples.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-johannes-boesen-danish-b-1847-a-4361902/
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-johannes-boesen-danish-1847-1916-the-edge-2017970/
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5175782
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1755784

The painting is monogrammed in the lower right and housed within a period frame that could be its original.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 17” x 14” / 43cm x 36cm
Year of creation: c. 1880
Provenance: Denmark
Condition: Canvas in good condition with some light craquelure. Frame with age-related wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £8,720 achieved for ‘Faggot Gatherer on a Country Lane’ at Christie’s, USA, in 2004.