A veritable profusion of flowers

Flowers in art

The floral motif occupies a strong position in the history of art. Through the ages, artists the world over have immersed themselves in the characteristics of flowers and their symbolic meanings, and the lovely creations have hardly been surpassed by any other motif. Flower motifs are found as far back as ancient art, when they were used to decorate Greek and Egyptian columns, and as an actual motif in Roman fresco painting. Flowers, as a genre, made a reappearance in Dutch Renaissance painting, and were a more or less recurring theme in the art of the centuries that followed.

“Flower Jensen”

In Denmark, floral painting did not become an established genre until the 19th century. The most famous contributor was undoubtedly I.L. Jensen. He trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, the pupil of C.W. Eckersberg and floral artist C.D. Fritzsch and, even as a student, his talent caused a sensation.

In 1822, he travelled to Paris, where he refined his floral painting skills under the expert tutelage of the Flemish brothers Gérard and Corneille van Spaendonck. During his time there, he underwent further training at the porcelain factory in Sèvres, where he became proficient in overglaze painting and portraying flowers in miniature format. On his return to Copenhagen in 1823, he became a member of the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts and was appointed head painter at Royal Copenhagen.

I.L. Jensen based his work on 17th century Dutch painting and was preoccupied with the perfect natural reproduction. His motifs, for the most part, depict species of Danish flora, which he arranged beautifully in bouquets and placed in a vase or basket. The resulting works were highly decorative, containing a symbolism that is worth looking into in greater detail.

Prominent commissions

In his day, I.L. Jensen was extremely popular in aristocratic and royal circles, and apparently Bertel Thorvaldsen also counted among the buyers of his art. Some of the most notable commissions included the decoration of the dining room at the home of Princess Caroline and Prince Ferdinand at Bernstorff Palace and not least his decoration of one of the rooms at Christian VIII’s Palace, which today is inhabited by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. I.L. Jensen was also highly influential as a teacher of many of the 19th century female painters, who embraced the floral motif, as women of that day were not allowed to paint nude models.

A shift in the perception of the floral genre

However, Danish art history tells another story. Here, floral painting had very low status and was, for many years, considered little more than decorative art. And the fact that the genre was primarily exercised by women only made matters worse. In art history, “Flower Jensen” has therefore enjoyed very little respect. Thankfully, over the past 25 years, floral painting has enjoyed something of a renaissance, and interest in I.L. Jensen and his students’ paintings is high, both here in Denmark and abroad. It therefore gives us great pleasure to be able to present the many fine works at the spring auction, whose recurring flower is the delicate pink rose, which was one of I.L. Jensen’s favourites.

You also have the opportunity to become the owner of a lovely bouquet of roses by another of the great flower painters of the 19th century, O.D. Ottesen. 

Auction: Tuesday 28 February from 5pm

View all works by I.L. Jensen

View all older paintings including in the auction

Read more about the auction and download the catalogue