Artwork
Portrait of Cathrine Jensen, née Lorenzen, the Artist's Wife Wearing a Turban
Portrait of Cathrine Jensen, née Lorenzen, the Artist's Wife Wearing a Turban is an oil painting by the Realist artist Christian Albrecht Jensen. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1842 by Christian Albrecht Jensen, the work is a personal portrait that centers on his spouse as its sole subject, rendered in oil on canvas.
The painting depicts Cathrine Jensen, née Lorenzen, the artist's wife, portrayed as a woman wearing a turban. Created in 1842 by Christian Albrecht Jensen, the work is a personal portrait that centers on his spouse as its sole subject, rendered in oil on canvas. The turban forms the principal iconographic feature of the composition, framing the sitter's face and lending the portrait an exotic, romantic character that was fashionable in European portraiture of the period.
By choosing to depict his wife in this distinctive headwear rather than conventional nineteenth-century female attire, Jensen elevates an intimate, domestic likeness into a more imaginative and stylized image. The portrait thus functions both as a record of Cathrine Jensen and as an artistic statement, with the turban signaling the sitter's individuality and the painter's interest in expressive, unconventional presentation.
Technique & Style
Created in 1842, the Portrait of Cathrine Jensen, née Lorenzen, the Artist's Wife Wearing a Turban is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work measures 68 cm in height and 53 cm in width. Visually, the piece functions as a portrait that depicts a woman wearing a turban.
The medium of oil paint allows for the rendering of the subject's attire and features within the formal composition of the genre.
History & Provenance
Christian Albrecht Jensen executed the portrait of his wife, Cathrine Jensen (née Lorenzen), wearing a turban in oil on canvas. While internal records assign the work to 1842, other documentation suggests the inception may have occurred between 1842 and 1844. The painting measures 68 cm in height and 53 cm in width.
The work entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains held. No specific details regarding the original commission or intermediate ownership transfers prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available sources.
Overview
Christian Albrecht Jensen, a leading Danish portraitist of the Golden Age, painted this oil portrait in 1842. The work presents his wife, Cathrine Jensen (née Lorenzen), dressed in a turban, dark green gown, and a brown shawl, set against a deep background that emphasizes her features. The painting is part of the collection of Denmark’s National Gallery, Statens Museum for Kunst.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Christian Albrecht Jensen (26 June 1792 – 13 July 1870) was a Danish painter who specialised in portrait painting and was active during the Danish Golden Age.
