Hand Painted Wall Panel

Description

A folk art wall panel hand painted by an itinerant artist in Sweden in 1837 (dated), depicting the nativity, with the three kings on horseback paying homage to Mary seated on a throne with baby Jesus in her arms, with other figures offering gifts, in front of a palace, the whole having a decorative border with old Swedish writing to the top and a tulip border to the bottom, all in muted tones of taupe and blue-grey. The figures have hair styles and clothes with long buttoned coats contemporary to 1837. This type of panel was customary in rural Sweden, where wealthy families would commission such works from a traveling artist who painted the chosen scene on heavy paper that was rolled out each year in the home as part of the Yuletide celebration. Panel is now pinned to a stretcher.