The Sea King’s Queen (1910 CE)

The Sea King’s Queen (original title; Sjökungens drottning), is a captivating illustration by John Bauer from 1910 that transports viewers into the enchanting and melancholic world of Swedish folklore. Created for the fairy tale Agneta and the Sea King in the anthology Among gnomes and trolls, this artwork depicts the pivotal moment when the Sea King crowns Agneta as his queen in a shimmering underwater palace. The scene, rich with mystical elements like pearls, corals, and fantastical sea creatures, evokes a sense of wonder tinged with tragedy, inviting viewers to explore the tension between enchantment and longing.

In the Swedish folktale Agneta and the Sea King, Agneta, a castle lord’s daughter, encounters a captivating merman by a lake. He lures her with promises of an enchanting underwater kingdom, but when she refuses, he seizes her hand and pulls her beneath the waves. His haunting harp song erases her memories of her earthly life, and Agneta becomes his queen, bearing him seven sons over eight years. Entranced, she forgets her father and home, living blissfully in the vibrant, otherworldly depths. One day, church bells pierce the water, stirring her longing for the surface. The Sea King reluctantly lets her go, warning her not to break certain rules, like speaking to her family or kneeling in church. At the church, Agneta sees her aged father, and her memories flood back. Defiant, she ignores the Sea King’s pleas to return, choosing her faith and freedom over her underwater family. With unwavering resolve, she stays on land, reunited with her father, never returning to the sea.

The Sea King’s Queen was created as part of the 1910 edition of Among gnomes and trolls, an annual Swedish publication launched in 1907 by Erik Åkerlund to bring folk tales to children across society. John Bauer, born in Jönköping in 1882 and trained at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, became the series’ most celebrated illustrator. The fairy tale, written by Helena Nyblom, tells of Agneta, a young woman lured by the Sea King’s mesmerizing music to become his queen, only to face a tragic choice between her underwater life and her human roots. Bauer’s illustration captures this moment of coronation, reflecting the early 20th-century fascination with national romanticism and Nordic mythology. His travels to Lappland, Germany, and Italy, where he studied Renaissance art and Sami culture, shaped his distinctive style, blending realism with fantastical elements. 

A haunting anecdote surrounds “Sjökungens drottning” due to Bauer’s untimely death in the 1918 Per Brahe shipwreck, which claimed the lives of Bauer, his wife Esther Ellqvist, and their son Bengt. Following this tragedy, newspapers speculated that the mythical sea creatures Bauer depicted, including the Sea King, had “claimed” him, lending a mystical aura to the artwork. Another intriguing detail is that Esther, an artist herself, often served as a model for Bauer’s princesses, and it’s likely that her likeness influenced Agneta’s portrayal, adding a personal dimension to the work. The emotional depth of Bauer’s illustrations may also reflect his passionate yet tumultuous relationship with Esther, marked by love and jealousy, which resonates with the tale’s themes of longing and sacrifice.

The painting holds a central place in Swedish cultural heritage as a quintessential representation of Nordic folklore. The artwork embodies the national romantic movement, which celebrated Sweden’s natural landscapes and mythical traditions. The fairy tale explores universal themes of temptation, broken promises, and the conflict between freedom and obligation, with the sea symbolizing both allure and danger—a recurring motif in Nordic stories. Bauer’s illustration amplifies these themes through its dreamlike underwater setting, where the opulence of the Sea King’s palace contrasts with Agneta’s inner turmoil. 

Bauer’s technique for The Sea King’s Queen involved watercolor, often combined with ink for precise linework, a method he favored for its ability to create luminous, detailed scenes. He began with small sketches, sometimes as tiny as a postage stamp (approximately 2.5 x 3.5 cm or 1 x 1.4 inches), to establish composition before expanding into larger, intricate illustrations. The final artwork’s exact dimensions are undocumented. Bauer’s use of muted, earthy tones with splashes of vibrant color, influenced by 14th-century Italian Renaissance art, creates a magical yet grounded atmosphere. The depiction of flowing garments and fantastical sea elements, such as pearls and corals, showcases his meticulous attention to detail, blending realism with fantasy.

The exact location of the original “Sjökungens drottning” remains uncertain, though it is likely housed in a Swedish museum, with Jönköpings läns museum being a strong candidate due to its extensive collection of Bauer’s works.