Dalarna wall painting

Back Erik Andersson1840

Nordiska Museet
Stockholm, Sweden

Painting depicting Karl XIV Johan and the Queen, Crown Prince and Princess.

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Details

Title: Dalarna wall painting
Creator: Back Erik Andersson
Creator Lifespan: 1778/1847
Date Created: 1840
Use: Sweden, Mangskog, Tobyn, Åsen
Subjects Depicted: Karl XIV Johan
Subject: The Royal Family
Physical Dimensions: w216 x h129 cm
More Information: When wealthy farmers extended their homes with an extra room for celebrations, Dalarna wall paintings became popular as wall decorations. For the first time, paying for colourful and expensive furnishings made sense, as larger windows provided more light and the built-in flues were less sooty. The heyday for these wall paintings was from 1770 to 1870. Back Erik Andersson from Leksand was one of many painters who divided his time between agriculture in his home village and travelling to paint in farms in the nearby countryside. Dalarna painters drew inspiration for their designs from illustrated Bibles, printed images on loose sheets of paper or paintings they saw in churches. Here, the royal family can be seen surrounded by kurbits, or floral motifs, the magnificent flower urns typical of this style of painting. The word 'kurbits' comes from the book of Jonah in the Bible and describes a fast-growing castor oil plant. Dalarna painters saw many similar flowers on Dutch tiles in manor house kitchens during their travels seeking work. Older paintings from Hälsingland and churches were also a source of inspiration. This painting is one of a series that a farmer in Värmland bought in exchange for a horse in 1840.
Type: Folk art
Rights: Photo: Bertil Wreting, Nordiska museet
External Link: http://www.digitaltmuseum.se/things/dalmlning/S-NM/NM.0198927

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