En husmoder ved sin båndvæv taler med to børn 1859

Constantin Hansen painted this scene of a mother at her loom with two children, but its date is unknown. It now hangs in the Statens Museum for Kunst. This intimate domestic scene seems to show the transmission of skills between generations. The tools of weaving, the clothing, and the clock in the background locate this image in a particular time and place. We are likely in 19th century Denmark, a time of rising nationalism and the celebration of traditional folkways. This work may have been intended to idealize the virtues of home and family. The presence of antique sculpture in the background also suggests an appeal to neo-classicism, which was common in Danish art institutions at that time. Through research into the artist's life, the painting's provenance, and the cultural history of Denmark, we might better understand the artist's intended meaning. Art always reflects the social and institutional contexts in which it is made.