In a Roman Osteria

In a Roman Osteria is a painting by the Danish painter Carl Bloch. It was painted in 1866.

In a Roman Osteria
Danish: Fra et romersk osteria
ArtistCarl Bloch
Year1866
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions148.5 cm × 177.5 cm (58.5 in × 69.9 in)
LocationNational Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen

One of Bloch's better-known genre scenes, the painting was commissioned by the merchant Moritz G. Melchior, Bloch's friend and major supporter who is included in the background of the painting. He is sitting in an osteria, at a table talking with his friends. The two figures sitting beside him are depicted, the figure turning his back to the viewers is the painter himself.[1]

The painting owes an obvious debt to Wilhelm Marstrand's Italian Osteria Scene painted in 1847

Bloch was a student of Wilhelm Marstrand[2] and this artwork is similar to Marstrand's Italian Osteria Scene.[1] The Polish-Danish painter Elisabeth Jerichau Baumann also made a version of the scene and there are at least three variations of that painting.

Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann's version of the Italian Osteria scene; date unknown

Acquired by the National Gallery of Denmark in 1935,[3] the unframed oil on canvas measures 148.5 by 177.5 centimetres (58.5 by 69.9 in).[3]

In April 2018, BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James led a real-life recreation of the painting after his listeners discovered he looked like the man in the painting. It was called the 'Radio 1 Paint-A-Long' and also included two listeners, Miriam and Harriet, who took the places of the women featured.[4]

References
  1. Larsen, Peter Nørgaard. "In a Roman Osteria, 1866. Carl Bloch". National Gallery of Denmark. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  2. "Carl Bloch". The Danish Royal Collections. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. "In a Roman Osteria". Google Cultural Institute. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. "What happened when Greg James recreated a painting from 1866 live on Radio 1". Retrieved 2 November 2018.


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