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Medium: oil on canvas

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Dimensions: 80 by 137 cm., 31 1/2 by 54 in.

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Provenance: Sale: Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 28 November 1995, lot 58
purchased at the above sale by the present owner

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Notes: Known for his almost photo-realistic landscapes bathed in colour and light, Mønsted was one of the most popular Danish painters at the turn of the century. He studied Fine Art at the Academy of Copenhagen from 1876-1879 and travelled extensively throughout Europe.

A favourite painter of King George of Greece, he was invited to Athens in 1893, where he remained for one year painting views of the city and its surrounding countryside. The present monumental work is one of his most accomplished paintings executed during this period. It seems likely that the elegant couple to the left of the composition is King George I and Queen Olga of Greece. To their left is their famous evzon guard known for his bravery and height and the three royal aides de camp in the traditional dress of Roumeli, The Peloponese and Crete.