The Marsh King's Daughter
Unpublished, 1924.
Original ink and watercolour heightened with gold to illustrate The Marsh King's Daughter in Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales. 265x370mm.
An unpublished illustration for "The Marsh King's Daughter", a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1858, and one of those closest to his heart. In the story, a group of storks acting as a Greek chorus, tell the tale of Helga, daughter of the Marsh King, who is a beautiful and violent girl by day, but a sad and gentle frog by night. She is redeemed after saving the life of a Christian priest doomed to be sacrificed by the Vikings, and here Andersen touches on the themes of faith and immortality so common in his writings. Kay Nielsen spent over 10 years working on his illustrations to Andersen's Fairy Tales, which was published in 1924. Ultimately, the publisher's decided to cut "The Marsh King's Daughter" from the included tales and thus this painting was not reproduced in the book.
Stock ID: 25422
Sold
We have sold this item, but similar items
may become available in the future
