CARL VILHELM HOLSØE | Daydream at the window

The work is in good condition, it is on its original canvas, the support is sound and stable, does not present any deformations.The picture layer is in good condition and does not show to the naked eye any lack, paint lifting or apparent retouching, slightly dirty, the varnish appears slightly oxidized. UV lamp lighting reveals few alterations (crack fillings) irregularly distributed over the canvas. In a gilded wooden frame with some lacks and some chips. L'oeuvre est en bel état.Elle est sur sa toile d'origine, le support est sain et stable, ne présente pas de déformations. La couche picture est en bon état et ne présente à l'oeil nu ni manque ni soulèvement ni retouche apparente, légèrement sale, le vernis paraît légèrement oxydé. L'éclairage à la lampe UV révèle peu de retouches (comblements de craquelures) irrégulièrement répartis sur la toile. Dans un cadre en bois doré présentant quelques manques et éclats.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For the space of an instant, Holsøe seems to have suspended time: in a nearly empty room, with a piece of unfinished embroidery before her, a young woman seen from behind appears enclosed in a solitary reverie. This view of an interior with a door ajar is characteristic of a fashionable current in Danish painting at the end of the nineteenth century. Heir to the work of the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century and to the philosophy of Kierkegaard, this young school brought together Holsøe, Peter Ilsted (1861-1933) and the Hammershøi brothers, Vilhelm (1864-1916) and Svend (1873-1948). Holsøe studied with several of these artists at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and at the Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler under Peder Severin Krøyer. Five portraits (ca. 1901) by Vilhelm Hammershøi attests to the enigmatic aspect of these artistic friendships.

Here Holsøe establishes a tonal poetics of greys and blacks filtered through the prism of a soft light radiating from the window. Taking centre stage, this light glides and reverberates over the surfaces of the bourgeois interior. The mirror imperceptibly reveals the imprints of a personality. A slight shading adds to the smooth, modern facture of the painting, contributing to the enigmatic effect of the silent atmosphere. The veiled faced of the woman in a dark dress reinforces the suggestion of a personal mental space, perhaps expressing boredom, anxiety or hope...