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Woman in an Interior
Vilhelm Hammershøi (Danish, 1864–1916)
1909
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
57.1 x 62.2 cm (22 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of John Goelet in memory of Hanns Swarzenski
Accession Number1985.930
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
In a modest interior lit by a central window, a woman sits with her back to us, absorbed in her work or reading. The painting’s clean lines and silver-grey tones infuse the scene with a feeling of stillness and serenity.
Hammershøi produced more than sixty paintings of this apartment on the Strandgade in Copenhagen, where he lived with his wife Ida (the model for this picture) from 1898 to 1908. His choice of subject and subdued painting style suggests his admiration for Dutch genre scenes.
Hammershøi produced more than sixty paintings of this apartment on the Strandgade in Copenhagen, where he lived with his wife Ida (the model for this picture) from 1898 to 1908. His choice of subject and subdued painting style suggests his admiration for Dutch genre scenes.
Provenance1918, Eduard Rée, Copenhagen; October 16, 1918, Rée estate sale, Vagn Aagesen, Copenhagen, lot 22. 1924, Max Lester, Copenhagen; October 20, 1924, Lester sale, Winkel & Magnussen, Copenhagen, lot 21. March 20, 1961, anonymous sale, Arne Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, lot 26. About 1960s, acquired by a private collector; about 1984/1985, sold by this private collector to Green Square, Copenhagen [see note 1]; June, 1985, sold by Green Square to John Goelet, New York; 1985, year-end gift of John Goelet to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 22, 1986)
NOTES:
[1] According to information kindly provided by Green Square (November 6, 2006).
NOTES:
[1] According to information kindly provided by Green Square (November 6, 2006).