Wilhelm Marstrand, Roman citizens gathered for merriment in an Osteria, 1839 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Wilhelm Marstrand, Roman citizens gathered for merriment in an Osteria, 1839"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

An Osteria is an (open-air) restaurant and wine bar in Italy.

In 1836, Marstrand travelled to Rome, where he stayed for about five years. Here he produced several paintings with more or less staged subjects from daily life and feasts of the Romans. At an Osteria in Rome, people dance and celebrate with lots of local atmospheres and good food and drink. On the left is a group of darkly dressed gentlemen. They are members of the Danish artists' colony in Rome, including Jørgen Sonne, Jørgen Roed and Constantin Hansen. They are accompanied by some distinguished guests, including the commissioner of the painting, lifting a glass, court wine merchant and state councilor Christian Waage Petersen. The contrasts between north and south fascinated Marstrand, and his depiction of the Romans is idealised, colourful and charming. As is often the case in the artist's densely populated paintings, the subject matter has a highly staged character.

Vilhelm Nicolai (Wilhelm) Marstrand (Copenhagen, Denmark, 24 December 1810 - 25 March 1873) was a Danish painter and is considered an important exponent of the Danish Golden Age. Initially painting mainly genre pieces, he later turned more towards history, choosing classical mythological and historical scenes. He was director of the Academy in Copenhagen from 1853 to 1857 and from 1863 until his death.