Artwork
The Death of Queen Sophie Amalie
The Death of Queen Sophie Amalie is an oil painting by the Realist artist Kristian Zahrtmann. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Kristian Zahrtmann’s 1892 oil on canvas, *The Death of Queen Sophie Amalie*, presents a late‑19th‑century Danish interpretation of a historic moment. The painting is housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst and belongs to Zahrtmann’s body of work that broke with the Academic conventions of earlier Danish art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the dying Queen Sophie Amalie of Brunswick‑Lüneburg, reclined on a richly appointed bed. A solemn figure in a dark robe clasps her hand, while a small dog peers from beneath the mattress, suggesting loyalty and domestic intimacy amid the royal tragedy.
Technique & Style
Zahrtmann employs a vigorous, impasto brushwork that gives the surface a tactile quality. Strong contrasts of light and shadow create a chiaroscuro effect, heightening the drama and drawing attention to the queen’s illuminated face against the surrounding darkness.
Context
Created during a period when Danish painters were shifting toward realism and naturalism, the work reflects Zahrtmann’s departure from the restrained aesthetics of the Danish Golden Age. His focus on a dramatic historical episode aligns with the broader 19th‑century European interest in narrative history painting.
History & Provenance
Since its completion, the canvas has remained in Denmark, entering the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, the nation’s principal art museum, where it is displayed as part of the institution’s holdings of 19th‑century Danish art.
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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.
