This gentle interior scene by Danish artist Poul Friis Nybo (1869-1929) depicts a lady reading by candlelight.
Nybo was a master of quiet interiors and thoughtful introspection. There’s a stillness amid the quiet tick of a grandfather clock, the whisper of a turning page and the flicker of a dwindling candle. Here, within these portrait-covered walls, he probably sketched from a chair by a table. While she’s lost in fiction, he’s absorbed by her partially-turned form.
Signed in the lower left and framed.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 24” x 24” / 61cm x 61cm
Year of creation: c. 1920
Condition: Artwork presents well. Canvas relined. Frame with some light wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £2,800
Poul Friis Nybo was a Danish painter of gentle interior scenes, landscapes and seascapes. His interiors are particularly interesting and capture a snapshot of everyday life. Many of these feature the same woman. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen before attending Kristian Zahrtmann's School and from 1892, he exhibited at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition.
Learn more about Poul Friis Nybo in our directory.
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 often restore frames rather than replace them as many are original and selected by the artists themselves.
