A fine early 20th-century interior scene depicting an older lady placing a cloth into a decorative chest. The room is gently lit via a small window, where three plants stand, and a back door.

The artist, Valdemar Magaard (1864-1937), has observed the light beautifully as it cascades from the window, across the woman’s dress, and down onto the floorboards. Note how the chest exhibits a warm glow from partially reflected light.

This is a good example of early 20th-century Danish genre painting and it captures a quiet everyday moment that would otherwise pass us by.

The painting is held within a gilded period frame and monogrammed/dated in the lower right.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 25” x 23” / 64cm x 58cm
Year of creation: 1927
Provenance: Denmark
Condition: Artwork in good condition. Frame with some age-related wear and handling marks.
Artist’s auction highlight: £1,400 achieved for ‘A Mother & Child’ at Christie’s in 1994.