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Holmgang

Teddy Hansen
£ 2,450 GBP

Maybe Danish people are happy because they know how to resolve conflict?

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Holmgang is a duel practised by early medieval Scandinavians to settle disputes legally. Anyone offended could challenge the other party to a holmgang, regardless of their differences in social status. Nowadays, we don’t want people duelling, but the main idea is that everyone has equal chances, something which the Danes still value today.

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The painting shows two men in a holmgang. One is naked, suggesting he is of poorer wealth, while the other man wears fine garments and boots. The poor man has decapitated the wealthy man, and a butterfly of blood appears as his head flies through the air.

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Holmgang would take place on a stretched-out cowhide, which you can see in the back of the painting, with a flag raised on the end of its tail to signify the end of the fight. A halved apple in the centre represents the participants’ equal chances, and a split worm, which is famously capable of regenerating, foreshadows an eventual return to peace.

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Mixed media on canvas. 2024

Dimensions (CM)
Depth
Width
60
Height
60
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