Artwork
The Iron Foundry, Burmeister and Wain
The Iron Foundry, Burmeister and Wain is an oil painting by the Realist artist Peder Severin Krøyer. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Peder Severin Krøyer’s 1869 oil painting titled *The Iron Foundry, Burmeister and Wain* captures a nocturnal industrial interior. Executed in the genre‑scene tradition, the work measures the interplay of light and labor within a bustling ironworks, and it is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents a night‑time foundry floor where men in dark workwear attend to glowing furnaces and molten iron. Figures are shown handling tools, pouring metal, and navigating a space filled with steam and heavy machinery, offering a visual study of the industrial working class and the material processes that defined late‑19th‑century production.
Technique & Style
Krøyer employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, allowing the furnace fire to illuminate faces and metal while the surrounding environment recedes into deep shadow. This contrast creates a sense of volume and atmospheric depth, emphasizing the harsh, almost theatrical light that defines the scene’s mood and highlights the physicality of labor.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1869, the work reflects Krøyer’s early interest in contemporary industrial subjects before his later focus on coastal and social scenes. It entered the national collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s representation of Danish realist painting.
Context
The piece documents the Burmeister & Wain iron foundry, a prominent Danish ship‑building and engineering firm of the period. By portraying the factory’s interior, Krøyer aligns with a broader European trend of realist artists documenting the rapid industrialization and its impact on laborers during the late 1800s.
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