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597
1600244

Carl Milles

(Sweden, 1875-1955)
Estimate
250 000 - 300 000 SEK
22 300 - 26 800 EUR
22 700 - 27 200 USD
Hammer price
420 000 SEK
Covered by droit de suite

By law, the buyer will pay an artist fee for this work of art. This fee is 5% of the hammer price, or less. For more information about this law:

Sweden: BUS
Finland: Kuvasto

Purchasing info
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The artworks in this database are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the rights holders. The artworks are reproduced in this database with a license from Bildupphovsrätt.

For condition report contact specialist
Linnea Österberg
Stockholm
Linnea Österberg
Assisting Specialist Art
+46 739 16 36 13
Carl Milles
(Sweden, 1875-1955)

"The skater princess".

Signed Carl Milles. Numbered, no. 3. Dated 1952. Foundry mark Herman Bergman Fud. Bronze, green patina, height 31 cm.

Literature

Henrik Cornell, "Carl Milles, hans verk", 1963, the motif listed in the catalogue raisonné p. 258 under the year 1949.

Erik Näslund, "Carl Milles - en biografi", 1991, the motif listed in the catalogue raisonné p. 337 under the year 1949.

More information

Carl Milles' 1949 sculpture “Skridskoprinsessan" (The Skating Princess) is a joyful celebration of movement, inspired by a young girl Milles saw skating in New York's Rockefeller Plaza. Delighted by her energetic movements, he decided to capture the moment in bronze. The result is a lively and playful sculpture in which the young girl's outstretched arms and swirling skirt give the impression that she is floating in a pirouette.

The sculpture stands in stark contrast to Milles' other works from the same period, such as “Människan och Pegasus” (Man and Pegasus) 1949 and “Guds hand” (The Hand of God) 1949-1953, which are characterized by existential themes of security and man's relationship with the divine. In “Skridskoprinsessan" however, we encounter a lighter, more playful dimension of life, where Milles captures the freshness and vitality of endless movement. Although the figure is cast in bronze, the movement feels so alive that we can almost see the girl continuing to spin.

Milles was known for his ability to capture movement in his sculptures, a theme that recurs in his works from the 1940s and 1950s. An example of this is “Skridskoåkande änglar” (Skating Angels) from 1948, which can be seen as a parallel to “Skridskoprinsessan". Here, however, the celestial figures of his earlier works are replaced by a more down-to-earth representation, with the playful princess symbolizing the freedom of youth. The sculpture creates a magical moment where the physical meets the dreamlike, and Milles highlights a movement that is both alive and symbolic.

Artist

Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor born in Lägga. He studied at the Technical School in Stockholm, at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Auguste Rodin and on study trips to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Paris he came to stay for many years and made a living as an ornament carver. He studied the animals in the Jardin des Plantes (the Zoological Garden) and was strongly influenced by Auguste Rodin. Milles made a breakthrough with a monument to Sten Sture in Uppsala. He exhibited at the World's Fair in 1900 and was later given a solo exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. Milles was professor of modeling at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Well-known sculptures in public places signed by Carl Milles are the "Gustav Vasa" statue at the Nordic Museum, "Orfeusgruppen" outside the concert hall in Stockholm and the "Poseidonfontänen" in Gothenburg.

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