Charming works by Carl Larsson
Carl Larsson
"Cartoons for the Christmas party in Grez 1882 and 1884"
Bukowskis presents Carl Larsson at Important Spring Sale. Viewing June 2th – June 7th, Auction June 9th. The collection is a Conditional Sale regarding the lots 749-762.
Conditional Sale: The lots 749-762 are first called out as separate lots and will then be offered as one lot with number 763. A winning bid on lot number 763 requires a bid exceeding the total hammered price for lots 749-762. Unsold lots will be priced at the reserves.
Browse and bid
The French village of Grez–sur–Loing came to play an important role in Swedish art history during the late 19th century. The social life in the artist colony seems to have been as great a source of inspiration as the French landscape. The available catalog numbers provide insight in a unique way into the close relationships that the artists in Grez had with each other, describing it in a fun, free and open way.
Several of Carl Larsson's illustrations from the artists’ life in Grez, from the same period, could be found in the Art Academy's student magazine "Palett-Skrap" [pallette scrape] and in several contexts, the artist came to illustrate as well as lead the social life in the artist colony. You can also see traces of this when he in a similar way illustrates and directs life in Sundborn through his watercolors and publications, but with his family in the leading roles.
Carl and Karin Larsson settled permanently in Grez and came to host a big Christmas party in Christmas of 1884, which had become something of a tradition. Before these parties, Larsson painted caricatures of friends and events in the lives of the guests.
. When it was time for Larsson to show these cartoons, Spada used to supplement with verses that were more, or less, improvised.
The collection that is being sold at this spring’s Important Spring Sale comes from Professor Carl Wahlund (1846-1913), Romanist and art collector, who often spent time with Swedish artists in Paris and Grez. He was at the Christmas party of 1884 and Georg Pauli writes about the cartoons in his “Konstnärsbrev II” (1928):
”Some of these cartoons were recovered by Professor Wahlund, but the vast majority were lost. Unfortunately! for preserved they would have formed a continuous chronicle of caricature”. Five of the cartoons are from the Christmas party of 1882 where we through Spada’s story from 1883 can identify them with his verses. Here we have "Involuntary divorce" (in Spada's text called "The corner before and now"), "Bedtime", "Ball in the wedding god's enclosure" (diptych), and "On classic ground”.
These images (called cartoons) give viewers who did not get the chance to be there in person, an opportunity to get personal and informal insight into what happened when they weren’t painting - love, passions, and disappointments were as present then as now.
In his drawings, Carl Larsson displays an incredible ability to observe and take advantage of small details, stories, and characteristic features among his friends and his time.
Some of the anecdotal material in the boxes passes over our contemporary heads as it was not written down exactly what was intended and because it was a kind of inside joke among friends and artist colleagues.
Another important source for this context is Johan Christian Janzon, who was Svenska Dagbladet's correspondent and wrote under the name "Spada". His texts, which were sent home to Stockholm, also provided insights into the artists' colony's parties and antics and were read by a large audience.
Back home in Uppsala, Carl Wahlund collected the works of his acquaintances in his home called "Beyond the noise", S:t Johannesgatan 12. In one of the rooms, four of the cartoons were mounted on the walls, and at his death, he bequeathed his book collection to Uppsala University Library and his house to the university. The university sold the house to Kalmar nation in 1913, and with the purchase came the four cartoons mounted on the walls and - which was revealed later - another ten watercolors.
Since 1986, the cartoons have been deposited at Uppsala University Library.
Readers of Svenska Dagbladet could on 5 January 1885, not many days after the Christmas party in 1884, read about the entertainment where the auction's cartoons were the grand finale of the festivities:
”Issued by the company Larsson & Janzon, which has been established for several years,… almost all those present - and some absent - appeared in different situations. There one saw e.g. Gegerfelt's wonderful adventure in Venice with a shark. Norström [sic] as an Eastern sultan in a harem, full of light bayaderes… Larsson in agrée uniform with plumes, gallons and drawn sword […]. That the 'fall of the curtain' was accompanied by double rounds of hip! Hurray !, was clear.”
Read more about the auction
Till Kartongerna
For requests & condition reports Contact our category specialists
Tukholma
Björn Extergren
Johtava asiantuntija sisäänjättö ja myynti. Asiantuntija antiikkikalusteet, taidekäsityö ja aasialainen keramiikka
+46 (0)706 40 28 61