The Water SpriteTil "Troldskab", Kristiania 1892 Series title
- Artist: Theodor Kittelsen
- Creation date: (1887)
About
Theodor Kittelsen’s drawings have a special place in the history of Norwegian art and culture. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations of Asbjørnsen and Moe’s folktales, but he also illustrated his own texts.
This illustration features a creature with luminous eyes peering up amidst the water lilies of the tarn, or small forest lake. The incipient ripples on the otherwise calm surface reinforce the impression that the creature, which resembles the roots of a tree, is alive. This monster, known in Norwegian folklore as the nøkken, recurs in several of Kittelsen’s pictures, but this drawing is his first known depiction of the mythical creature. Kittelsen has delicately reproduced the reflection of the trees on the tarn’s tranquil surface, hinting at the contrast between the idyllic and menacing aspects of nature. The supernatural and the natural merge into one and personify the forces Kittelsen perceived in his relationship with nature. This is characteristic of many of his pictures, whether lyrical depictions of nature or more dramatic and fanciful scenes.
In ancient folklore, the nøkken was a baleful creature that small children in particular had to be protected from. He could also assume other shapes, such as a beautiful white horse or an old skiff; no matter his form, he would always try to lure his prey down to the depths of the tarn. Kittelsen described the monster as follows in his book Troldskab: “He lurks in the tarn among the large, radiant lilies that you reach for. Even before you’ve touched the lily, the quagmire gives way beneath you – and that’s when he grabs you with his wet, slimy hands.”
This drawing was purchased by the National Gallery in 1893, along with seven other drawings from Troldskab.
- Creation date:
- (1887)
- Other titles:
- Nøkken (NOR)
- Object type:
- Drawing
- Materials and techniques:
- Penn, blyant og lavering på papir
- Material:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- Width: 466 mm
- Height: 331 mm
- Keywords:
- Visual art
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Motif - type:
- Myths and fairy tales
- Inventory no.:
- NG.K&H.B.03202
- Cataloguing level:
- Single object
- Acquisition:
- Purchased 1893
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Andreas Harvik/Lathion, Jacques
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Other works by Theodor Kittelsen
The twelve Wild DucksTheodor Kittelsen1897
Knelende mann. Forarbeid til altertavleTheodor Kittelsen1913
The Ash Lad beheads the TrollTheodor Kittelsen(1900)
The Ash Lad and the Golden BirdTheodor Kittelsen(1900)
Hay-drying rack and Swallows skimming byTheodor Kittelsen(1893)
Klassiske hoder, proporsjonsstudierTheodor KittelsenAntagelig mellom 1874 og 1876
Venus fra MiloTheodor Kittelsen9. mars 1875
Gudbrand of the HillsideTheodor Kittelsen(1908)
Waves breaking and SeabirdsTheodor KittelsenAntagelig 1893
KløverornamentTheodor KittelsenAntagelig mellom 1874 og 1876
Illustrasjon til "Sandfærdige skrøner og sligt noget. Fortalt av Mathias Skeibrok", Kristiania 1891Theodor KittelsenFør 1891
John BraunTheodor KittelsenAntagelig 1870-tallet







































