Artwork
Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot
Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot is an oil painting by the Realist artist Carl Bloch. It dates from 1871 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
An hourglass is prominently featured among these items, serving as a potent symbol of the king's dwindling freedom and the long years of his incarceration.
Carl Bloch's 1871 history painting portrays the imprisoned King Christian II of Denmark within the confines of Sønderborg Castle. The composition focuses on the monarch's captivity, utilizing specific interior elements to underscore his isolation and the passage of time. Key objects depicted include a table, a chair, a jug, and a bed, which establish the sparse domestic setting of his confinement.
An hourglass is prominently featured among these items, serving as a potent symbol of the king's dwindling freedom and the long years of his incarceration. By combining these tangible markers of prison life with the figure of the deposed ruler, the work visually represents the historical narrative of Christian II's loss of power and his subsequent solitude.
Technique & Style
Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium consistent with Carl Bloch's standard practice for history paintings of this scale. The work measures 294.5 cm in height by 234.5 cm in width, indicating a large, vertically oriented support suited to a single-figure composition.
Stylistically, the painting belongs to the genre of history painting, depicting the imprisoned Danish king Christian II within the interior of Sønderborg Castle. The composition is built around a tightly arranged group of attributes, a table, chair, jug, bed, and hourglass, that frame the figure and reinforce the narrative of captivity. The use of such symbolic objects, rendered in oil on a sizable canvas, reflects the academic conventions of 19th-century Danish history painting, where careful staging of period furnishings and props was used to evoke the historical setting.
History & Provenance
Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot was created in 1871 by the Danish artist Carl Bloch as an oil painting on canvas, working in the genre of history painting. The work depicts the imprisoned King Christian II of Denmark within Sønderborg Castle, surrounded by attributes of captivity including a table, chair, jug, bed, and hourglass. The painting entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (the Danish national gallery), where it remains held.
No further details regarding a specific commissioner, prior ownership, or intermediate provenance are documented in the available sources.
Carl Bloch’s Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot (1871) has been part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) in Copenhagen since its acquisition. The painting is accessioned under the museum’s inventory as a key example of Danish history painting.
The work has been exhibited at the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is held in its permanent collection. Its prominent display reflects its significance within the museum’s holdings of 19th-century Danish art.
Overview
Carl Bloch's 1871 oil painting, Christian II i fængslet på Sønderborg Slot, captures a poignant moment from Danish history. This historical work, rendered in oil, portrays King Christian II during his period of imprisonment within the confines of Sønderborg Castle. The artwork is a notable example of Bloch's narrative style and is a part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst.
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