Artwork
En tilgivelse
En tilgivelse is a photography by the Impressionist artist Unknown. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
En tilgivelse, produced in 1892 by the photographer known as 222_person, is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The image presents an intimate interior scene illuminated by soft light, drawing attention to the expressions and gestures of the two figures within a modestly furnished room.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a bedridden individual gazing upward with a pallid complexion, while another figure kneels beside the bed, clasping the patient’s hand and looking down with a solemn demeanor. The title suggests an act of forgiveness, inviting viewers to contemplate themes of compassion, vulnerability, and interpersonal reconciliation in a domestic setting.
Technique & Style
Captured with a focus on naturalistic lighting, the photograph emphasizes the faces and hands, rendering the textures of the rough walls, simple table, and draped coat with clarity. The approach aligns with realist photographic practices of the late nineteenth century, aiming to document genuine emotional moments rather than staged dramatization.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1890s, En tilgivelse entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains part of the institution’s representation of everyday life in the period. The work is attributed to the pseudonymous creator 222_person, whose broader oeuvre is documented within the museum’s photographic archives.
Context
The image reflects broader trends in European photography of the 1890s, when practitioners increasingly turned to domestic interiors to explore social and emotional narratives. The modest setting and unembellished composition echo contemporary ethnographic interests in documenting ordinary human experiences across cultures.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Ill Man
La vuelta al hogar
Communion of a Sick Woman
Over midnat
The first born
Over midnat
Study for "Come Rest in this Bosom my own Stricken Dear"
Study for "Come Rest in this Bosom my own Stricken Dear"
Death of an Orphant
The Artist Michelangelo at the Deathbed of Vittoria Colonna
Death of Paolo and Francesca
En tilgivelse