Peder Paars 2. bog 3. sang. Jens Bloks og mor Gunhilds kamp 1863

Wilhelm Marstrand made this pen and brown ink drawing, ‘Peder Paars 2. bog 3. sang. Jens Bloks og mor Gunhilds kamp’, with no indicated date. It depicts a scene of conflict taken from Ludvig Holberg's epic poem, 'Peder Paars,' which satirizes Danish society. Marstrand’s artwork illustrates a clash between Jens Blok and Gunhild, embodying the social tensions between different classes in 18th-century Denmark. The exaggerated expressions and dynamic composition amplify the comedic and satirical intent of the original text. The setting, with its rudimentary architecture, reflects the social context of Holberg’s narrative. Marstrand, working in the 19th century, looked back to Holberg’s period, but through a lens that was self-consciously modern, and it is important to consider how the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, where Marstrand taught, shaped his interpretation of national identity. To fully understand this piece, one might explore 18th-century Danish literature and social histories. The study of such sources would reveal the artwork’s role in shaping cultural memory and national identity.