Antiques for Sale > Paintings & Drawings

Displayed in a period golden maple frame;
Framed dimensions: 25.5 x 1.25 x 22.25 Inches.

Born to a wealthy and cultured Swedish family, Christine Sundberg first traveled to Stockholm to study painting at Elise Brandt's Drawing and Painting Institute for Young Women. In 1864, the Swedish Royal Academy of Arts opened their department to female students and Sundberg was chosen as one of the nineteen women admitted to study in that inaugural year. During her three years at the Royal Academy, she was the recipient of several medals and prizes. In 1867, with her colleague and fellow student, Helena Millde, she moved to Germany to continue her studies at the Dusseldorf Art Academy with Ferdinand Fagerlin the figural and genre painter. In 1868, she moved to Paris to study with Thomas Couture and Gustave Courtois, both rigorous teachers of anatomy, and, subsequently, at the Academie Colarossi, then France's center of classical figure drawing. After completing her extensive studies, Sundberg settled permanently in France and, except for occasional visits to Sweden, continued to live and work there until her death.

In addition to her creative painting, Sundberg also became an expert restorer of works of art and, from 1872, was employed by the Louvre as a fine art conservator. She continued to exhibit widely and with success, participating in numerous solo and group shows including at the Academy of Fine Arts (1873) and the Jeu-de-Paume (1874). She also exhibited frequently at the Parisian Salons, with exhibits that included 'Still Life' (1869), 'Portrait of a Young Girl' (1874), Still Life (1879), and 'Portrait of a Young Girl' (1888). This last Salon exhibited work, dated 1888, is, in all likelihood, the painting that is offered here. Additionally, her work was accepted for display at two World Exhibitions (1878, 1889) and she was also an invited exhibitor at the Women's Pavilion of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Christine Sundberg is well-listed in all relevant art reference works including Benezit and Thieme-Becker.

We are pleased to offer this rare, late character study by the artist. This exquisite work stands not only as a tour-de-force showing Sundberg's absolute mastery of her craft but also as a bravura work of psychological penetration.

Reference:
E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 13, p.358; Thieme-Becker Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zu Gengenwart, Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 31/32, p. 293; Davenport’s Art Reference, 2009/10 Edition, LTB Gordonsart, Inc. 2008, p. 2461; Swedish Biographical Lexicon, Christine Margaretha Sundberg, urn: sbl: 34683, Barbro Werkmäster; et al.