A Day of Celebration. From A Home (26 watercolours)

Carl Larsson (1853 - 1919)

Artist/Maker

Artist: Carl Larsson (1853 - 1919)

DatesSigned: c. 1895

Material / Technique

Watercolour

Dimensionsh x w: Mått 32 x 43 cm h x w x d: Ram 37 x 51 x 2 cm

Inventory numberNMB 280

AcqusitionPurchase 1900

Other titlesTitle (sv): Namnsdag på härbret. Ur Ett hem (26 akvareller) Title (en): A Day of Celebration. From A Home (26 watercolours) Label (sv): Namnsdag på härbret Label (en): A Day of Celebration

DescriptionDescription: This watercolour shows the Larsson children at five in the morning, all dressed up to celebrate the maid Emma on her name day, 23 July. The maids’ room in the farmhouse had been decorated by Karin Larsson, and a few of the many textiles she designed for the family home can be seen here. The ceiling is hung with a cloth with red stripes and embroidered birds. The red tassels were inspired by the ornamen¬tation of folk costumes. Karin mixed traditional patterns and colours with new ideas, and Carl’s paintings chronicle her artistic development.

Collection

Paintings (Paintings)

MaterialWatercolour

TechniquePainting

External links

Wikidata: http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q18587203

Additional texteExhibition text: Carl and Karin Larsson combined new design with old traditions. Practicality dictated their interior design, but it was equally important that furniture and objects form an attractive harmony. This ideal was also propagated by others, including Ellen Key, who advocated homes that were in a new and light style, in her essay “Skönhet för alla” (Beauty for All) in 1899. The Larssons moved to Lilla Hyttnäs, a house in Sundborn, in the summer of 1889. Here, Carl and Karin together created the interiors that made their home famous. Karin designed the furniture and textiles, which she embroidered and wove. A studio was fitted up in one of the hallways. It features many eye-catching details, including the funny man crowning a column. When a larger studio extension was added, this room became a workshop for the whole family. The interiors of the Larsson home were characterised by rural simplicity. Nevertheless, every detail was carefully designed, with influences from England, Scotland and Japan. The kitchen, which was first and foremost a place for household chores, did not display the same modern interior style and comfort as the rest of the house.