They were once common across northern Europe, now only 31 remain. JC Dahl salvaged one and painted, and Harriet Backer painted the unique interior of another.
Backer
St George’s Chapel, Windsor; a Spanish sacristy; Church of St Francis of Assisi; Basilica of St-Denis; Tanum and Uvdal Stave Church; Lincoln Cathedral; Reims Cathedral.
Keeping the aspidistra flying in the homes of the respectable middle classes, in paintings from Carl Larsson to Paul Signac and Harriet Backer.
Raphael’s Disputa, Joan of Arc, the coronation of Charlemagne, a knight dedicating his service in a country church, a shockingly naked St Elizabeth, and a Last Supper painted in Norway.
Sewing for Garibaldi’s redshirts, the flag of a castle, Sir Lancelot, fishermen and sailors, Pentecost costumes, and other purposes.
Boudin’s beach paintings heralding Impressionism, the turn of the plough, the flax harvest, stave churches, an early mermaid, Turner’s white rabbit, and more.
A dramatic family break-up, Norwegian light and music, a library, ornate decor with a bird cage, and a truly avant-garde interior of 1913.
The interiors of an artist’s studio, realistic or fantastic, those of the Netherlands a century earlier, a cotton office in New Orleans, and more.
First popular in the Dutch Golden Age, paintings of interiors enjoyed success during the 19th century, when they were favourites of the avant garde.
Her studies of light moved indoors, using the shadows of kerosene lanterns, and depicting women in church.
The Eclectic Light Company 