Artwork
Roser og reseda i et blomsterglas

Roser og reseda i et blomsterglas is an oil painting by the Realist artist Kristian Zahrtmann. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Created in 1872, this oil painting presents a modest arrangement of roses and reseda placed in a slender glass vase.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Kristian Zahrtmann's 1872 oil painting depicts a floral arrangement featuring roses and reseda flowers situated within a glass vase.
Kristian Zahrtmann's 1872 oil painting depicts a floral arrangement featuring roses and reseda flowers situated within a glass vase. As a work classified within the genre of floral painting, the composition focuses entirely on the botanical subjects without additional narrative elements or human figures. The title explicitly identifies the specific plant species represented, centering the artwork's meaning on the direct observation and rendering of these natural forms.
The piece serves as a study of flora, capturing the visual characteristics of the blooms in a still-life format.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting Zahrtmann's approach to floral subjects through layered brushwork and naturalistic color modulation. The composition isolates blooming roses and reseda within a transparent glass vessel, emphasizing botanical detail against a muted backdrop. Formal analysis notes restrained tonal harmonies and controlled handling of light, characteristic of Zahrtmann's restrained realism in the 1870s.
The painting measures 26.5 cm in height and 21 cm in width, consistent with contemporary small-format genre works.
History & Provenance
Roser og reseda i et blomsterglas was created by Kristian Zahrtmann in 1872, executed in oil paint. The painting entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is held as part of the museum's holdings. Its dimensions are recorded as 26.5 cm in height by 21 cm in width. The work is classified as a floral painting depicting roses and reseda.
The painting Roser og reseda i et blomsterglas by Kristian Zahrtmann is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. Created in 1872, the work is cataloged within the museum's inventory as a floral oil painting on canvas. Specific accession numbers or detailed exhibition records are not provided in the available sources.
Legacy
The painting remains part of the Statens Museum for Kunst collection, where it is recorded as a floral work completed in 1872 by Kristian Zahrtmann. Though little documented in contemporary criticism, its status as a representative example of 19th-century Danish floral painting contributes to an ongoing scholarly reassessment of Zahrtmann's role in that genre.
Overview
Created in 1872, this oil painting presents a modest arrangement of roses and reseda placed in a slender glass vase. Set against a deep, almost black backdrop, the composition emphasizes the delicate, pale petals and the green foliage, allowing the floral subject to dominate the visual field.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Danish painter.













