This fine early 20th-century oil painting by Danish artist Sophus Vermehren (1866-1950) depicts a woman seated at her dressing table, viewed from behind as she raises a small hand mirror.
Draped in a deep, wine-coloured garment that falls loosely from her shoulder, she sits in quiet profile, her back softly illuminated against a pale, restrained interior. A vase of autumnal flowers, a bottle, and a small casket rest upon a table to her right. Her hair is gathered into a low chignon, adorned with flowers, and her posture is composed yet unguarded.
At first glance, the composition recalls an earlier work, ''Woman in front of a mirror'' by Danish Golden Age painter, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783-1853). Like Eckersberg, Vermehren adopts a controlled, balanced structure, using the circular form of the mirror to anchor the composition and guide the viewer’s gaze. Yet where Eckersberg’s mirror reveals the sitter - completing the image through reflection - Vermehren withholds it.
... The mirror offers no legible reflection, presenting instead a darkened surface that quietly denies us access to the woman’s face.
This subtle decision transforms the work, and it becomes a meditation on privacy and self-containment. We are placed close to the figure, yet remain outside her experience. In this way, Vermehren shifts a familiar motif toward a more modern sensibility.
Such an approach reflects Vermehren’s broader interest in the interiors and rituals of the bourgeoisie. Unlike the rustic scenes favoured by his father, Frederik Vermehren, or the moralised domestic narratives of his brother Gustav, Sophus turned his attention to quieter, more introspective moments.
The result is a painting that invites a slower engagement - one attuned to the delicate boundary between observation and intimacy.
Held in its original late 19th-century gilt frame.
Learn more about Sophus Vermehren in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 24½” x 25” /62cm x 63cm
Year of creation: c. 1905
Provenance: Private collection, Denmark.
Condition: Cleaned. Craquelure in areas. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £16,532 achieved in 2019 for ‘The Antique Collection at the National Gallery of Denmark’.
Our reference: BRV2280
Internal Reference: BRV2280
Antique ID Number (AIDN): SA1207066
Dateline of this antique is 1900
Height is 63cm (24.8inches)Width is 62cm (24.4inches)Depth is 5cm (2.0inches)
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