Ships off the coast of Norway, probably Kristiania (Oslo), possibly the corvette "Lagerbjelke" and the frigate "Josephine".
Canvas 37 x 56.5 cm.
Marcus Larsson visited Norway in the summer of 1850 and executed a series of studies there, which were later transformed into larger paintings upon his return. The following year, he visited Norway again, this time as a guest of the Swedish royal family, who travelled by sea to Norway aboard the corvette "Lagerbjelke" (launched in 1848) and the frigate "Josephine" (launched in 1834), where they visited Oslo and Stavanger, among other places. A similar oil study by Marcus Larsson in the same format depicting the two ships at anchor in Dusevik near Stavanger was sold at Stockholm Auction House on June 5, 2013, no. 1895 (sold for 87,500 SEK). The painting also fits the description of a painting listed in A. Gauffin, "Simon Marcus Larsson 1825-1864. A Swedish Artist's Fate," 1907, no. 82 as "The Oslofjord from Næsudden."