Josef Theodor Hansen (Danish, 1848-1912)

With work by artists including Tintoretto, Titian and Tiepolo, the decorations of the Sala delle Quattro Porte were designed to illustrate the story of the foundation of Venice, its historical independence, and the traditional ideals of Venetian society. Inspired by his predecessors from the Golden Age of Danish painting like Kobke, Rorbye and Eckersberg, Hansen traveled throughout Europe painting the grand interiors he encountered on his visit. The present work incorporates the Copenhagen School's distinctive luminosity, compositional minimalism and balance, and the artist's particularly finely detailed execution.