Skip to content
EntityQ761681· pop 9· linked from 14 articles

Midwinter's Sacrifice

Sign in to save

Also known as Midvinterblot

Midvinterblot (Swedish for "Midwinter sacrifice") is a painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
painting
Country
Sweden
Depicts
soldier
Material used
oil paint
Collection
Nationalmuseum
Image
Midvinterblot (Carl Larsson) - Nationalmuseum - edited.jpg
Height
640
Width
1360
Show 6 more facts
inception
1915-01-01
Commons category
Midvinterblot
inventory number
NM 6971
copyright status
public domain
title
Midwinter's Sacrifice
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~13 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Background
  • Sources and inspiration
  • Evolution of the work
  • First version
  • Second version
  • Third version
  • The final versions and rejection
  • The later controversy and eventual acceptance
  • Notes
  • Bibliography

Midvinterblot (Swedish for "Midwinter sacrifice") is a painting by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting.

The painting depicts a legend from Norse mythology in which the Swedish king Domalde is sacrificed to avert famine. After long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum; but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Carl Larsson had intended.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Midwinter's Sacrifice” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Available in 8 languages

via Wikidata sitelinks · CC0