Johannes Snellman, Portrait Of A Woman With A Woodpecker Brooch

Johannes Snellman, Portrait Of A Woman With A Woodpecker Brooch

A mid-20th-century three quarter length portrait of a seated lady by Finnish-Swedish artist, Herman Johannes Snellman (1885-1961). She’s wearing a dress with a woodpecker brooch and looking across to our right.

Snellman appears to have worked in pencil and crayon, which gives the piece an unusual 'lost in time' quality. We particularly love the highlights of electrifying blue that dart through her hair.

Snellman was born in Helsinki and moved to Sweden in 1943. He trained at the Ateneum and undertook study trips to England, Spain and Italy. Many of his portraits were completed in crayon and he’s represented at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.

The portrait is signed in the lower right and housed within a glazed period frame.

Medium: Pencil and crayon on paper
Overall size: 26½” x 32½” / 68cm x 83cm
Year of creation: 1951
Provenance: Sweden
Condition: Artwork in good overall condition. Frame with some light age-related wear.

Conservation & History

We care profoundly about our role as custodians and every piece in the collection has been assessed by our conservator. When required, we undertake professional restoration carefully using reversible techniques and adopt a light touch to retain the aged charm of each work. We also restore frames rather than replace them as many are original and selected by the artists themselves.

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