Københavns Kunsthandel has just sold a painting to the Skovgaard Museum in Viborg.
A little unusual, not a work by one of the many talented painters from the Skovgaard family, but a painting by the today somewhat overlooked painter FC Lund (1826-1901).
The title of the painting is "Crypt in Viborg Cathedral", painted in 1874, with dimensions 36 x 49 (47 x 60) cm. It has previously been sold at the Artist's estate auction in 1902, at Charlottenborg, catalog number 40. Since then, as far as is known, it has been in private ownership.
It is an unusual motif from the dark crypt with the small burning light hanging from the ceiling with fine red rays. And then the robed figure is a bit of a mystery.
Is he a mess boy? Or is it a painter's coat with brown wipes of paint and isn't it a passer he's holding in his hand?
Joakim Skovgaard (1856-1933) was an assistant for FC Lund in 1874-1875 when he executed his masterpiece the ceiling decoration in Viborg Cathedral.
We wish Skovgaard Museum the best of luck with the new recovery. It will be interesting to follow whether the Skovgaard Museum can clarify exactly what the picture represents.
