Ægir's Feast, detail, 1857 (oil on canvas)

This work was commissioned by the statesman Orla Lehmann, who chose a subject from Nordic mythology. The giant Ægir (“sea” in old Norse), a personification of the ocean, invited the gods to a banquet. Loki, the god of discord, came to cause trouble, but was chased away by Thor, who intervenes with his hammer. For Hansen's contemporaries, Loki may have symbolised the threat that Prussia posed to Scandinavian unity. HISTORICAL DETAILS Inspired by recent archaeological finds which artists were passionate about, the objects that appear in this painting alongside the legendary figures lend a sense of reality and link them to the history of the country.