# Summer Night's Dream [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [HANSEN, Frida]() - Date: 1851-1900 - Technique: Wool, metal threads, 292 x 200 cm ## Commentary In 1897, Frida Hansen patented her transparent technique where she alternated between dense and translucent parts in the weave. This decorative technique allowed her love for flowers and organic plants to fully blossom. The airy and elegant textiles became very popular and could be used as room dividers and curtains. Hansen's tapestries were enthusiastically embraced abroad, but at home, her work was often criticised for being "un-Norwegian". In the time around the dissolution of the union with Sweden, decorative artists were expected to reflect Norwegian national identity. Gerhard Munthe's textile patterns were popular, taking their inspiration from Norwegian folk tales, legends and stories from Viking times and the Middle Ages. Frida Hansen was also influenced by national themes but was particularly associated with international impulses that were opposed to creating a national identity. It was the reason why her works were purchased by most of the major museums in Europe but were not recognised by Norwegian museums until much later. The Summer Night's Dream tapestry in the National Museum in Oslo was woven using the transparent technique, woollen yarn in the warp, woollen yarn and silver thread in the weft. ## Related artworks - [Chair]() - [Eventyrslottet \(Fairytale Castle\)]() - [Milky Way \(detail\)]() - [Milky Way]() - [Portiere]() - [Summer Night's Dream]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()