Lot 19: Eremitagepavillonerne i Fredensborg Slotshave (The Eremitage Pavilions in the Royal Gardens at Fredensborg)

Harald Slott-Møller (Danish, 1864-1937) Eremitagepavillonerne i Fredensborg Slotshave (The Eremitage Pavilions in the Royal Gardens at Fredensborg) signed 'Harald Slott-Möller' (lower right) oil on canvas 20½ x 16 in. (52 x 40.8 cm.)

Harald Slott-Møller painted the Eremitage Pavilions of the Royal Garden at Fredensborg on a summer's eve, where the lingering twillight casts deep shadows and the water on the lake assumes a mirror-blank colour. Fredensborg is the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family, and its Garden is a stunning combination of prominent 'avenues' arranged in star formation, wild growing trees and winding paths. Beeautifully situated on a steep slope down to Esrum Sø, Denmark's deepest lake, the two white Pavilions create a strong contrast to the dark trees to their sides. Dating back to King Frederik IV's reign, they were built by Johan Cornelius Krieger, the Garden's designer, in 1725. They were originally in red, but had been painted white by the mid-1700s. Slott-Møller made frequent use of contrasts between light and darkness in his landscapes and was drawn towards the Symbolist aesthetic.