Chess Players Journal — Gustav Wentzel 1886 Oslo

In 1886, the Norwegian painter Gustav Wentzel set up his easel in a bohemian interior in Christiania and painted two men — Harald Bertrand and Oscar Lærum — absorbed in a game of chess; the front cover presents a detail of Sjakkspillere (The Chess Players, National Museum Oslo) with warm chiaroscuro light falling across their faces, a beer jug, pipes, and a green bottle beside the board, while the back cover reveals the full composition: a bohemian artist's studio with a canvas leaning face-down against the wall, a blue terrestrial globe, ceramic vessels, an open fan, a religious icon, a mandolin hanging in the upper left, and in the lower right the painter's signature — N. Gustav Wentzel 1886.

Read the full story →

Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 100 g
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print
• Note: small production barcode (0.5" × 0.5") on back cover

Perfect For

• Chess players and enthusiasts drawn to the art and history of the game
• Admirers of Norwegian naturalism and 19th-century Nordic art
• Collectors of museum-quality art reproductions from the National Museum Oslo
• Those drawn to bohemian intellectual life, artist studios, and the world of Christiania in the 1880s
• Students and researchers of art history, chiaroscuro technique, and Scandinavian painting
• Thoughtful gifts for chess lovers, artists, and admirers of rare Norwegian painting