Johan Peter Molin (Swedish 1814-1873). A biscuit porcelain group of the 'Knife wrestlers' or...

Johan Peter Molin (Swedish 1814-1873). A biscuit porcelain group of the 'Knife wrestlers' or 'Baltesspannarna' by Gustafsberg of Stockholm, depicting two athletic men wrestling, each holding a dagger, the naturalistic base impressed with 'I P MOLIN STOCKHOLM 17/3/1864', mounted on a classical plinth base, decorated with serpents and panels of classical figures, with impressed marks 'GUSTAFSBERG with an anchor', 80.2cm high (overall), 43.4cm wide, 23.7cm deep.

Provenance:The Collection of Sir Jeremy Lever.

See the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, Liverpool for another version of this work.

See Sotheby's, Amsterdam, A distinguished private collection from Corsica, 29th September 2008, lot 156 for a similar example.

The Knife Wrestlers was first exhibited in Paris in 1859. During the 19th century there was a revival in interest in Norse mythology and this sculpture represents a form of combat described in the Nordic tales. A bronze of this group can be found in the centre of Gothenburg.