Artwork
Etatsråd M.L. Nathanson
Etatsråd M.L. Nathanson is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Wilhelm Marstrand. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
If you're interested in learning more about this style of painting, you might want to explore the work of artist Wilhelm Marstrand.
This painting depicts an older man with a serious expression, wearing a dark jacket and white shirt with a black bow tie. His hair is graying and styled in a short, wavy manner. The background of the painting is a dark, muted color.
The man's attire and hairstyle suggest that the painting is from the 19th century. The artist's use of dark colors and shading creates a sense of depth and dimensionality in the portrait.
If you're interested in learning more about this style of painting, you might want to explore the work of artist Wilhelm Marstrand.
Subject & Meaning
The work is a formal oil portrait depicting the Danish statesman and banker Mendel Levin Nathanson. Painted by Wilhelm Marstrand in 1849, the piece presents the sitter as the primary and sole subject, focusing on his individual identity rather than an allegorical narrative. As a large-scale commission measuring 290 cm in height, the painting serves as a dignified representation of Nathanson's status during the mid-19th century.
The straightforward portrayal emphasizes the subject's prominence without incorporating additional symbolic figures or complex iconographic elements beyond the sitter himself.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1849, this portrait by Wilhelm Marstrand is an oil painting on canvas. The work depicts Mendel Levin Nathanson and is classified as a portrait within the artist's oeuvre. The composition is substantial in scale, measuring 290 cm in height and 220 cm in width.
As a formal likeness, the piece utilizes traditional oil media to render the subject, who served as an etatsråd. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
The portrait Etatsråd M.L. Nathanson is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The work is an oil painting on canvas created by Wilhelm Marstrand in 1849. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the painting is documented as part of the museum's permanent holdings.
No exhibition history is recorded in the provided sources.
Overview
Wilhelm Marstrand’s oil portrait of Mendel Levin Nathanson was completed in 1849. The work presents the senior statesman in a restrained pose, his gaze directed outward, and is part of the collection of Denmark’s National Gallery (Statens Museum for Kunst).
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand (24 December 1810 – 25 March 1873), painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith.
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