Valdemar Atterdag brandskattar Visby

This painting shows how the citizens of Visby are forced to fill three beer barrels with treasures before the sun goes done. According to the legend, Valdemar would burn the city to the ground if they failed.

The painting is in the National Romantic style, typical of its time. The observer is meant to identify with the powerful mayor in the foreground. Defiantly, he meets King Valdemar’s gaze. Hellqvist wanted to invigorate the Swedish national sprit in the late 1800s.

Despite the artist having studied medieval environments and historical objects, we can see, with today’s knowledge, that the motif is full of historical inaccuracies. Open the small doors in the painting and have a look!

Using a historical event as a commentary on one’s own period, or as a means of influencing it, is known as “the use of history”.

The original is displayed at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.