View from the Citadel Ramparts in Copenhagen by Moonlight

Martinus Rørbye

1839 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

This intimately-scaled picture depicts a soldier and two sailors at the military citadel popularly known as Kastellet, which is situated to the north of Copenhagen’s old city. Rørbye’s teacher, Eckersberg, specialized in maritime subjects, but these figures, with their backs to the viewer and illuminated solely by moonlight, embody a sense of Romantic longing that recalls works by Dahl as well as German artists of the period.

Artist

Martinus Rørbye

Date

1839

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Eugene V. Thaw, 2007