Magnus Thulstrup Bagge (Norwegian, 1825-1894), Midnight Sun with the Islands in Lofoten

Oil on canvas, circa 1887, signed at lower right, retaining remnants of a hand-written label to the verso reading "Midnight Sun with the (Islands) of Lofoten / in the northern ice see [sic] near Hundorp, Norway / 70° degree latitude / Painted by Magnus von Bagge / Norwegian landscape painter / Berlin (illegible) / 41 Schöneberger Ufer II Tel," presented in a period gilt composition frame.

Stretcher size 22 1/4 x 34 1/2 in.; Frame dimensions 33 1/4 x 46 in.

Magnus Thulstrup Bagge was born in Christiansund, Norway. From 1844 to 1847, he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen under Bertel Thorvaldsen, and in the early 1850s continued his training with landscape painter August Leu at the Düsseldorf Academy. Bagge is best known for his vivid, atmospheric landscapes depicting the dramatic scenery of Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Bavaria.

Bagge was also active as a teacher and counted the celebrated Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen among his students. His painting Labrofossen (1847), an accomplished depiction of the Labro Falls in Norway, is held in the collection of the National Museum in Oslo.

Light surface grime; minor stable craquelure; patch to verso with associated minor retouch to water at left of center; minor retouch visible under UV light water below gulls and landmass at right of center; expected age cracking to frame.