Anders Zorn

The auction's painting "Dam med flor" is a study for Anders Zorn's famous work "I sorg," a watercolour that marked his breakthrough at the Royal Academy's student exhibition in 1880. "Dam med flor" displays clear traits of Zorn's early, emotive portrait style, where he explores the expression of sorrow through subtle details and a sparse yet effective colour palette. As in "I sorg," we see here a young woman whose downcast gaze and face, partially concealed by a delicate veil, convey a sense of melancholy and inner calm. It is an introspective depiction, where sorrow is suggested rather than explicitly expressed.

In this painting, Zorn employs colour and light to highlight the woman's expression and create contrast against the background. The vibrant details in her hat, along with the model's fair complexion, create a distinct interplay between light and shadow. Against the warm background colour, the woman's face and veil are accentuated, drawing the viewer's gaze towards the centre of the subject and adding depth to the image.
According to reports, the woman in the auction's painting is Emma Zorn, Anders Zorn's future wife, who was then known as Emma Lamm. Anders and Emma married in secret in October 1885 after having met four years earlier when Zorn was to paint a portrait of Emma's nephew.

The auction work was likely executed around 1880 and is a brilliant example of Zorn's technical skill as a watercolourist and his ability to capture emotions and presence with subtle precision. With masterful handling and a keen sense of the human inner life, Zorn has here created an image that is not only a study in technique but also an intimate portrayal of sorrow and stillness, inviting the viewer to share in the model's emotional landscape.