This is a fine vintage etching showing the famous sculpture by Edvard Eriksen showing the Little Mermaid. The bronze is located on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The design takes inspiration from the story of the Little Mermaid by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The sculpture is made of bronze and is rather small and unimposing in stature. It has been a major tourist attraction since its unveiling in 1913.
Andersen's fairy tale follows the tragic journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a human soul.
John Kai Seligmann (Denmark (1905 -1976) was born in Copenhagen. He produced this attractive and atmospheric etching with colour in the first half of the 20th Century. It is pencil signed by the artist, bottom right - and with the title bottom left - as photographed. It is one of two works that Seligmann made featuring the sculpture at the Danish harbour.
Not much is known about his life - as he was considered more of a talented amateur rather than a professional artist. He seems to have excelled at drawing at school but he was not given the opportunity to develop his talents and he worked most of his working life as a bricklayer. In the 1930s - he taught mathematics, geometry, and technical drawing at Copenhagne's Technical School. In the late 1930s, he started studying to become an architect - but the war interrupted his studies in this field.
As a draftsman, he was self-taught - and took it up as a more serious hobby and commercial artistic sideline from around 1940. He worked in charcoal, pencil, watercolour, and made a series of etchings - but never made any oil paintings. His etchings of historical sites of interest around Copenhagen proved to be popular and sold well. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations for tourist postcards - which he worked on up until he was about 60 years old. He died in Copenhagen in 1976.
This is perhaps his finest work. My impression is in fine clean condition and displays well. It has been recently mounted with a new fresh top-quality window mount. It is sold UNFRAMED - and ready for you to just select a picture frame of your choice to hang on your wall.
This atmospheric Danish vintage original print would look great in an interior featuring modern Danish design - or someone interested in the works of Hans Christian Anderson.
Dimensions: The new window mount is 42.5 x 37.5 cm. The image size is 28.5 x 28 cm.
The etching would have to be carefully packed and sent to you with Parcelforce24 in the UK. This would cost £10 and be applied to your order at the checkout.