Efterår 1811 - 1813

Oluf Bagge made this print titled "Autumn" using etching. The image draws on classical allegories of the seasons. The figure is wreathed in flowers and dressed in flowing robes. She holds a torch, but also a sheaf of wheat, as if to emphasize that autumn, as a time of harvest, can be both fruitful and destructive. Bagge was working in Denmark at a time of great social and political upheaval. As Denmark moved towards a constitutional monarchy, artists were taking a greater interest in national identity and folk culture. Here, Bagge synthesizes classical allegory with something more homely. The figure is idealized, but the wheat she carries suggests Denmark’s basis in agrarian production. It implies that there is an inherent value and dignity in working the land. To understand the print further, one might look to popular literature, almanacs and printed ephemera. These sources can help us contextualize its iconography, and in turn, reflect on the relationship between civic identity and the idealization of nature.