Wenzel Tornøe

WENZEL TORNØE (Assens, Denmark, 1844-1907).
"At the Turkish Baths," 1887.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 70 x 52 cm; 94.5 x 75.5 cm (frame).

In this painting contextualized in a Turkish bath we see Tornøe's taste for capturing intimate and atmospheric moments of the bourgeoisie or the Danish middle class. On this occasion a young lady with her torso uncovered observes two salamanders swarming across the marbled surface of the room. Generally, these animals symbolize immortality, rebirth, passion and the ability to resist fire. These associations derive from the ancient belief that these amphibians could live in fire and be purified by it.

The painter Wenzel Tornøe studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and exhibited regularly at the Charlottenborg exhibitions in the same city. Today his works are in museums in Denmark and are sought after by collectors of 19th century Danish art.