Danish experts identify portraits of Danish nobility in Lithuanian museum

Danish art experts identified portraits of 18th-century Danish nobility in the collection of the Kretinga Museum in Lithuania.

The museum houses a collection of paintings from the Palanga manor, which belonged to the Tiškevičius family. For years, museum staff believed the portraits depicted members of the Zubov family, who previously ruled the Kretinga region. Danish specialists discovered that the paintings actually depict Danish figures painted by the 18th-century portraitist Jens Juel.

The experts identified one portrait as depicting Countess Berthe Brochenhuus, a Danish noblewoman. Because there are three other known paintings of her by Jens Juel in Denmark, specialists were able to confirm her identity based on her appearance and the specific painting style. The identification occurred after the Kretinga Museum published a catalog and shared it with Danish museum professionals.

Experts also analyzed a second portrait hanging nearby, which they believe depicts the husband of the countess, though they could not confirm his identity. Additionally, staff at the Aušros Museum in Šiauliai are now re-evaluating two still-life paintings of roses in vases to determine if they were also painted by Jens Juel.