Mrs Th Petersen, née Roepstorff

Additional texteCatalogue text: Christen Købke was one of the leading artists of what is known as Denmark’s Golden Age, equally successful as a portraitist and a landscape painter. This rendering of Mrs Petersen is a good illustration of his unique ability to create a strong presence in the gaze of his subject. Another characteristic of Købke, and of Danish Golden Age painters generally, was the very precise manner in which they painted. One such detail, which reinforces the impression of liveliness in this portrait, is the few stray hairs, simply painted, protruding from the carefully arranged coiffure. Exhibition text: Købke had a rare ability to capture the personality of the models completely without idealizing. This is evident in the portrait of his cousin’s wife, Adolphine Emilie Petersen, painted in 1833. An elegant detail is the lace at the shoulder, arranged in a delicate but effective relief. The artist tried to establish himself as a portrait painter, but did not succeed. Most of his customers were relatives, who were reluctant to pay.