When I learned of a large wool transparent tapestry for sale at auction in the U.S. recently, the pattern seemed familiar. It was woven in 1928 by Sofie Knagenhjelm, a Norwegian woman living in California. It’s beautiful, and I recognized the Norwegian designer. I would have loved to buy the transparency, but the price rose above my “random tapestry” budget. You can watch me drop out of the live auction in my previous post, “A Transparent Tapestry by Sofie Knagenhjelm.” Although this transparency has a much different feel than the one I remembered, the overall format of the design was familiar. (auction listing)
The Knagenhjelm tapestry woven by a Norwegian weaver living in California is clearly the same design as two panels attributed to Ulrikke Greve at the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo.
https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/samlingen/objekt/OK-1991-0393
If you look at the format as a whole, and then begin to notice the shapes of the flowers within the bottom half, you will see the similarities. The colors make the two pieces look so different. Plus the Nasjonalmuseet panels are unusual because they are filled in with a mountain (Mount Fuji?). The piece woven by Sofie Knagenhjelm has the open center area filled with a repeating pattern.
The shape of the fruit and leaves section at the top is different, but with similar elements. The Knagenhjelm piece has shaded fruit and single-color leaves; the Greve piece has solid leaves in different shades.
Here are some similar flower shapes near the bottom.
The Knagenhjem tapestry is a direct link from Frida Hansen to one of her followers, Ulrikke Greve, and then to a Norwegian weaver living in California, Sofie Knagenhjelm.
The interpretations of the pattern are so different. Was that because Sofie Knagenhjelm obtained the pattern on a trip to Norway but had never seen the other woven example? These days photos are so easy to obtain in print and online, but in 1928, Sofie may have woven in isolation from photos of previous versions. And did they each begin with a smaller pattern and expand the pattern themselves? That could account for the fact that the same shapes of flowers and leaves appear, but not in the exact same positions.
Sofie Augusta Hansen Knagenhjelm (1868-1955) was born, married, and died in Drammen, Norway. After her husband’s death in 1923, she also spent a decade living in California with her son, from 1924-1933. I hope to find out more and write more about this talented weaver.
I found a photo of the transparency that was sold at auction, in the Nordisk Tidende newspaper from Brooklyn, November 30, 1944. Knagenhjelm’s transparency is in the center.
The text said, “We bring here a photo of the successful Norwegian section of the women’s international exhibition of art and handwork in Madison Square Garden. The photo shows the centerpiece of the exhibit, the large transparent tapestries in unusually beautiful color combinations. The portieres are designed by the famous Norwegian artist Ulrikke Greve and created respectively by Mrs. Holmboe and Mrs. Sofie Knagenhjelm.”
When the Knagenhjelm tapestry was sold, it came with a First Place card. Her name was listed, and below it was a reference to Studio Wayside Colony in Long Beach.
This photo from the Long Beach Public Library shows the Studio Wayside Colony building in 1929. Perhaps this is where Sophie Knagenhjelm wove?
I’ve unearthed additional information, and really hope to contact the seller of the tapestry. Was it owned by a family member? I contacted the auction house right after the auction on January 26, and they promised to ask both the seller and buyer if I could contact them. That’s a slow process…
If anyone reading this knows more about Sofie Knagenhjelm, and especially if you have photos of other transparent tapestries she wove, please let me know.