Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord
Bridal Procession on the Hardanger is an 1848 painting by Hans Gude and Adolph Tidemand. It is one of the best known Norwegian paintings.
Gude painted the landscapes and Tidemand the bridal party. The painting is 93 x 130 cm, and is in the National Gallery in Oslo. It is considered to be an excellent example of romantic nationalism in Norway.
In the painting, a bridal procession crosses a fjord in boats, after the wedding. The groom, tipping his hat, and the bride, in her bridal crown, can be seen in the first boat. The boat crew are dressed in typical Bunad costumes. In the distance, other boats with guests of the wedding can be seen.
The scene, Gude later wrote, was not as viewed from a particular location, but was deliberately composed from his overall observations.
The painting was first presented in a tableau vivant at the Christiania Theater in 1849. The soirée, in March 1849, included a theatrical group dressed in traditional costumes aboard a boat who performed a song by Andreas Munch with music by Halfdan Kjerulf, with the painting itself serving as scenery.
