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Portrait of a Young Boy - Oil on Canvas Circa 1850ca. 1850
ca. 1850
$3,459.44
£2,557.61
€2,900
CA$4,758.41
A$5,289.27
CHF 2,772.52
MX$64,594.78
NOK 34,613.34
SEK 32,564.69
DKK 22,077.65
About the Item
Oval Portrait of a Young Boy (Johan Gustaf Moll, 1843–1912), attributed to Carl Ferdinand Sohn (1805–1867)
An intimate oval portrait of a young boy. Mounted in an oval gilt wood period frame which is original. The painting is unsigned. The reverse of the frame and stretcher reads: “konstnär Carl Ferdinand Sohn 1805–1867” and “Barnporträtt af Johan Gustaf Moll f.1843 d.1912 G.m. Agda Friis.” (Artist Carl Ferdinand Sohn 1805–1867) and (Child portrait of Johan Gustaf Moll b. 1843 d. 1912 inherited by Agda Fris)
Provenance: Johan Gustaf Moll, then his wife Agda Fris and kept in the family until present day. The restrained palette, smooth handling, and refined delineation of features align with mid-nineteenth-century Düsseldorf portrait practice, for which Sohn was widely admired. His portraits—especially of children and women—are noted for an idealizing yet psychologically attentive tone, qualities consistent with the present work’s poised, inward-looking characterization.
Carl Ferdinand Sohn was born in Berlin in 1805 and became one of the leading figures of the Düsseldorf School of Painting. At eighteen he entered the studio of Wilhelm von Schadow, following his teacher to Düsseldorf when Schadow was appointed director of the academy. Sohn’s early formation combined a poetic, Romantic sensibility with close study from nature—an approach he later passed on to generations of students. In 1832 he was named Professor at the Düsseldorf Academy, where he would exert lasting influence.
Travel played a formative role. During 1830–1831 he visited Italy, absorbing Venetian color and the compositional breadth of Titian, Veronese, and Palma Vecchio—elements that informed the warm tonality and elegant classicism of his portraits. As his reputation grew, Sohn was overwhelmed by portrait commissions from across Europe. Notably, he was among the few academy masters to teach women in his private studio, a practice that broadened access to professional training.
Within Sohn’s oeuvre, portraits of children occupy a meaningful niche alongside his lyrical-romantic history scenes. Hallmarks relevant to the present attribution include the softly modeled flesh tones, gently idealized physiognomy, and measured finish associated with Düsseldorf portrait conventions in the 1840s–1850s—years when Sohn balanced teaching with a thriving portrait practice.
The sitter of this portrait Johan Gustaf Moll (b. 1843, d. 1912) later as an adult served as a director at Skånes Enskilda Bank’s Stockholm office—a concise confirmation of his subsequent career in Swedish banking.
- Creation Year:ca. 1850
- Dimensions:Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 21.66 in (55 cm)Depth: 1.58 in (4 cm)
- Medium:
- Circle Of:Carl Ferdinand Sohn (1805 - 1867, German)
- Period:
- Condition:The painting is in good condition.
- Gallery Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2608216842992
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