Christian Albrecht Jensen
Hans and Bolette Puggaards three children, 1827
Oil on canvas, 82 x 64 cm.
Inventory number: 0239NMK
Acquired in 2019. This acquisition was made possible with funding from the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation and the Augustinus Foundation, funding from the wills of Director Per Vilhelm & Mygge Kolbing-Nielsen and the museum’s private donors in 2018.

 
C.A. Jensen is considered one of the finest portrait painters of the Danish Golden Age. This painting depicts Bolette and Hans Puggaard’s three children: Hans Christopher Wilhelm, Rudolph Christopher and Arnette Marie Bolette. Bolette’s maiden name was Hage, and she was the sister of Johannes Hage’s father, Alfred Hage. The daughter, Maria, later married Orla Lehmann.
It is a truly charming painting. Clad in Empire style, the children are beautifully positioned in a pyramidal composition, and the green drapery corresponds wonderfully with a number of Baroque paintings in our collection while also bringing out the contemporary complementary colour in the healthy red cheeks. The little boy with the drum brings to mind old Christmas songs. At the same time, the drum is a national and military symbol associated with marching.

Christian Albrecht Jensen (1792-1870)