Artwork

The Doctor´s Wife Reveals her Husband´s Intention of Anatomising Niels Klim

The Doctor´s Wife Reveals her Husband´s Intention of Anatomising Niels Klim is an oil painting by the Neoclassicist artist Nicolai Abildgaard. It dates from 1793 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Overview

Nicolai Abildgaard's 1793 oil painting illustrates a scene from the narrative of Niels Klim, a work characteristic of the Neoclassical movement. It is currently held in the Statens Museum for Kunst.

Subject & Meaning

The painting captures a moment when Niels Klim's wife discloses his plan to dissect their husband/father, as a boy in a green coat watches intently. A skeleton on the wall adds a sense of foreboding, suggesting the scene is more than a domestic moment.

Technique & Style

Abildgaard's work exemplifies Neoclassical ideals through its structured composition. The use of oil paint allows for detailed rendering of textures and expressions, contributing to the scene's quiet, serious atmosphere.

Context

The narrative of Niels Klim is referenced in the painting, which Abildgaard, a professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy, would have been familiar with. His role at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art and work on royal palaces indicate his prominence in Danish art.

Own this work as a print

Artist & collection

Artist

Nicolai Abildgaard

Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (11 September 1743 – 4 June 1809) was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen…