Artwork Description

Title:Flowers

Artist
Johan Laurenz Jensen

Date
n.d.

Medium:
Oil on canvas

Dimensions
12.6 x 9.4 in (32 x 24 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Flowers is a delicately rendered oil on canvas still life by the celebrated Danish painter Johan Laurenz Jensen (1800–1856). This intimate composition depicts a bouquet of pale daisies, elegantly arranged against a dark, atmospheric background that enhances their botanical structure and tonal delicacy. Each petal is described with fine precision, while the rich green leaves anchor the composition with a grounded naturalism. The canvas is framed in a giltwood frame with visible age-related craquelure and some pigment yellowing, both consistent with the painting’s age. Otherwise, the work remains in very good condition.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Jensen was a leading figure of the Danish Golden Age and the foremost floral painter of early 19th-century Denmark. Trained under Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and C.D. Fritzsch at the Royal Danish Academy, his work synthesizes the meticulous accuracy of botanical illustration with the atmospheric sensibilities of Biedermeier still life painting. Influences from his study in Sèvres and travels in France and Italy can be seen in his delicate brushwork and compositional elegance. Jensen’s florals are celebrated for their scientific clarity, yet remain deeply poetic and decorative.

3. Historical Context
Johan Laurenz Jensen’s artistic development paralleled the flourishing of Denmark’s cultural life in the early 19th century. His appointment as principal flower painter at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory in the 1820s placed him at the heart of Danish applied arts, contributing to major commissions such as the Flora Danica service for the Danish royal family. He later became a prominent figure in the expatriate Scandinavian art circles in Rome and Paris, earning admiration from contemporaries such as sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and writer Hans Christian Andersen. Jensen’s still lifes not only embody the refinement of the Danish Golden Age but also reflect the 19th-century ideal of unity between art and nature.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition, with minor craquelure and areas of yellowed varnish and pigment consistent with age. The canvas remains structurally sound, and the floral subject retains strong visual clarity. The frame shows surface wear consistent with historical handling and remains a complementary period presentation.

6. Artistic Significance
Regarded as the “Father of Danish Flower Painting,” Johan Laurenz Jensen played a pivotal role in elevating still life painting to an academic and cultural art form in Denmark. His works bridge fine art and scientific study, capturing both the beauty and structure of nature. Flowers exemplifies the artist’s mastery in balancing elegance and botanical realism, offering collectors and scholars alike a pristine example of Golden Age still life tradition. It is a testament to Jensen’s technical finesse and enduring appeal across centuries of connoisseurship.