Artwork
Marine. Udsigt over Øresund
Marine. Udsigt over Øresund is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Eric Paulsen. It dates from 1789 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Erik Pauelsen’s 1789 oil painting, Marine.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This maritime scene exemplifies the genre of marine art, emphasizing the natural landscape and seafaring activity of the region.
The painting depicts the Øresund strait, showing a solitary sailing ship traversing the waterway. This maritime scene exemplifies the genre of marine art, emphasizing the natural landscape and seafaring activity of the region. The work reflects 18th-century Danish artistic interest in documenting coastal environments and nautical subjects.
The representation of Øresund serves as both a topographical record and a symbolic expression of Denmark's maritime heritage, highlighting the strategic and economic importance of the strait.
The ship, rendered with careful attention to sail and rigging, functions as an iconographic element common in marine paintings of the period, often signifying exploration, trade, or naval presence within the depicted waters.
Technique & Style
Marine. Udsigt over Øresund is an oil painting executed on canvas by Eric Paulsen in 1777. As a work classified within the marine art genre, the piece depicts the Øresund strait featuring sailing ships.
The physical support consists of canvas, while the medium is oil paint. The work is substantial in scale, measuring 325 cm in height and 450 cm in width.
History & Provenance
The marine painting Marine. Udsigt over Øresund by Erik Paulsen is dated 1777, aligning with the artist’s documented activity in that year. The work entered the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains located.
No archival records indicate a prior private ownership or a formal commission, suggesting the painting may have been created as an independent work intended for public or institutional display.
The painting Marine. Udsigt over Øresund is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. Created by Eric Paulsen in 1777, the work is an oil painting on canvas depicting the Øresund strait with sailing ships.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, nor is there any recorded exhibition history for the piece. The museum currently lists the work as part of its marine art holdings, with dimensions recorded as 325 cm in height and 450 cm in width.
Overview
Erik Pauelsen’s 1789 oil painting, Marine. Udsigt over Øresund, presents a view of the Øresund strait, a busy maritime corridor between Denmark and Sweden. The canvas captures a harbor scene with three sailing vessels, the central ship moored to a timber pier, while smaller boats bob in the rippling water under a sky tinged with gathering clouds.
Context
Pauelsen, primarily known for portraits and landscapes, worked within the Rococo tradition that emphasized elegance and lightness, yet his marine scenes convey a more sober realism. The Øresund strait was a vital commercial artery in the 18th century, and the painting reflects both the economic importance of maritime trade and the aesthetic preferences of the Danish court at the time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Erik Pauelsen (2 or 14 October 1749 – 20 February 1790) was a Danish painter. He is most notable for his landscapes and was also a popular portraitist. However, he did not experience the same level of success as Jens…
