Artwork
Portræt af Holger Aagaard Hammerich som 4-årig
Portræt af Holger Aagaard Hammerich som 4-årig is an oil painting by Elisabeth Baumann. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Elisabeth Jerichau‑Baumann created an oil portrait in 1849 depicting a four‑year‑old boy named Holger Aagaard Hammerich.
About this work
Overview
Elisabeth Jerichau‑Baumann created an oil portrait in 1849 depicting a four‑year‑old boy named Holger Aagaard Hammerich. The work is part of the collection at Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is displayed among the museum’s 19th‑century holdings.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, a light‑skinned child with curly blond hair, is shown in a simple dark shirt marked by a narrow black stripe. His expression is neutral, eyes fixed forward, conveying a quiet, introspective presence that reflects the conventions of child portraiture in the mid‑1800s.
Technique & Style
Jerichau‑Baumann employs a restrained palette and a plain gray backdrop, allowing the figure to dominate the composition. Subtle chiaroscuro modelling gives the boy’s face and clothing a three‑dimensional quality, while the smooth brushwork emphasizes a calm, almost meditative atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Born in 1819 to a Polish‑Danish family, Jerichau‑Baumann was an active portraitist who married the sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau. The painting remained in private hands before entering the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it now serves as a representative example of her early portrait work.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anna Maria Elisabeth Lisinska Jerichau-Baumann (21 November 1819 – 11 July 1881) was a Polish-Danish painter. She was married to the sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau.
Edward Blake Parkman
Portrait of Oktawian Szukiewicz as a child
Henri Bernard van der Kolk at age 2
Knabenbildnis
The Little Cavalier
Portrait of Rudolf (1838–?), son of Stanisław Jachowicz
Marguerite-Juliette Pierret
Portrait of a Young Boy
Marguerite-Juliette Pierret
Carl Bror Munck af Fulkila (1836-1905)
Portrait of a boy
Portræt af Holger Aagaard Hammerich som 4-årig