Artwork
The Danish Queen Thyra Danebod Trying to Soften the Heart of her Husband, Gorm the Old, towards some Christian Captives
The Danish Queen Thyra Danebod Trying to Soften the Heart of her Husband, Gorm the Old, towards some Christian Captives is an oil painting by the Realist artist Julius Exner. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Julius Exner, a Danish painter active in the mid‑19th century, completed an oil work in 1849 that portrays Queen Thyra Danebod appealing to her husband, King Gorm the Old, on behalf of Christian captives. The canvas is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst’s collection and reflects Exner’s turn toward genre scenes during Denmark’s National Romantic era.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a domestic moment drawn from early Danish legend: the queen, clothed in a blue gown with a white head covering, reaches toward the seated king, whose long red beard and grey attire suggest authority. Her gesture implies an attempt to soften his resolve concerning prisoners of faith, while a group of armed and unarmed figures watches from the background, heightening the scene’s emotional tension.
Technique & Style
Exner employs chiaroscuro to model the figures, using contrasts of light and shadow to give depth to the interior space and to focus attention on the interaction between queen and king. The realistic rendering of clothing textures and facial expressions aligns the work with the Realist tendencies that were emerging alongside National Romanticism in Denmark.
History & Provenance
Born in 1825 to a Czech musician, Exner initially trained as a history painter but shifted to genre subjects, a change reflected in this painting. After its creation in 1849, the work entered the holdings of Denmark’s national gallery, where it remains on view as an example of the period’s blend of historical reference and everyday realism.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johan Julius Exner, (30 November 1825 – 15 November 1910), Danish genre painter, was born in Copenhagen to Johann Gottlieb Exner, a Czech musician from Bohemia, who came to Denmark during the Napoleonic period, and his wife Karen…
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