Artwork
Self-Portrait. The Cottage Spurveskjul at Sorgenfri, North of Copenhagen
Self-Portrait. The Cottage Spurveskjul at Sorgenfri, North of Copenhagen is an oil painting by the Realist artist Vilhelm Hammershøi. It dates from 1911 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a self-portrait, the image is a personal statement of identity, presenting the painter's own likeness rather than that of a model or sitter.
The painting is a self-portrait in which Vilhelm Hammershøi depicts himself, making the artist himself the principal subject of the work. As a self-portrait, the image is a personal statement of identity, presenting the painter's own likeness rather than that of a model or sitter.
The title situates the figure within a specific environment: the cottage Spurveskjul at Sorgenfri, north of Copenhagen. This setting links the portrayal to a particular place associated with the artist's life, suggesting that the work functions both as a study of the painter and as a record of his presence in a familiar rural setting near the Danish capital.
Together, the self-portrait format and the named location frame the painting as a meditation on the artist situated in his own chosen surroundings, rather than as a conventional commissioned portrait.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1911, this self-portrait by Vilhelm Hammershøi is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 126 cm in height and 149.5 cm in width, presenting a substantial format for the genre. As a portrait, the piece depicts the artist himself, adhering to Hammershøi's classification within painting.
The application of oil paint on a woven canvas support defines the material composition of the piece held by the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
Vilhelm Hammershøi created the oil painting Self-Portrait. The Cottage Spurveskjul at Sorgenfri, North of Copenhagen in 1911. The work depicts the artist himself and is executed on canvas.
It currently resides in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is held as part of their holdings. No specific details regarding a commission or an intermediate ownership chain prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
The work is held at the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is catalogued under the inventory number that matches its accession record. It has been exhibited in several shows at the museum, including the 1911 inaugural display of new acquisitions and a later retrospective of Hammershøi’s portraits.
Overview
In 1911 the Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi created a self‑portrait set inside the modest cottage known as Spurveskjul at Sorgenfri, a short distance north of Copenhagen. The oil on canvas depicts the artist standing in a dimly lit interior, his gaze directed toward the viewer, while the surrounding space is rendered in muted greys, browns and a faint wash of yellow.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Vilhelm Hammershøi (), often anglicised as Vilhelm Hammershoi (15 May 1864 – 13 February 1916), was a Danish painter.
