Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 34 works by Richard Bergh in our catalogue
In short
Julius Caspar, Merchant (1904) is the Richard Bergh painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. After it, the eye goes to Self-Portrait (1874) and Johan Kindborg, 1861-1907, konstnär, gift med trägravören Emy Edman (1884). Among the 34 works of Richard Bergh in our catalog, these 34 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
In this oil on canvas, the artist Richard Bergh captures a moment of quiet permanence. The portrait, titled Julius Caspar, Merchant, presents a man defined by his station and the steady weight of his years. He sits within a controlled, intimate space, his presence anchored by the gravity of his profession and the stillness of the room. The work was created about 1904.
The Fortress of Varberg1894 · Nationalmuseum
12
The Dying Day1895 · Nationalmuseum
13
Hand Studies for the Portrait of Gustaf Fröding1909 · Nationalmuseum
14
The Verger's House at Tyresö1911 · Nationalmuseum
15
Park Landscape, Tyresö1910 · Nationalmuseum
16
Hjalmar Branting, 1860-1925National Portrait Gallery of Sweden
17
The Poet Gustav FrödingNationalmuseum
18
Poplars Growing near a WatercourseNationalmuseum
19
Giendesheim, NorwayNationalmuseum
20
Förstad till ParisNationalmuseum
21
Nordic summer's evening1899 · Gothenburg Museum of Art
22
The Knight and the Maiden1897 · Thiel Gallery
23
Portrait of the Painter Nils Kreuger1883 · Statens Museum For Kunst
24
The Old People by the Beach1903 · Statens Museum For Kunst
25
Vision. Scene from Visby1894 · Nationalmuseum
26
The Artist, Julia Beck1882 · Nationalmuseum
27
The Council of the Society of Artists1903 · Nationalmuseum
28
The artist Eva Bonnier1889 · Nationalmuseum
29
Hypnotic Séance1887 · Nationalmuseum
30
After the sitting1884
31
Girl Picking Flowers1884 · Gothenburg Museum of Art
32
Landscape from Halland1895 · Gothenburg Museum of Art
33
My Wife1886 · Gothenburg Museum of Art
34
Boy from Concarneau1882 · Nationalmuseum
The 7 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Richard Bergh | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 22 | Julius Caspar, Merchant, Self-Portrait, Johan Kindborg, 1861-1907, konstnär, gift med trägravören Emy Edman |
 Gothenburg Museum of Art |
Gothenburg | 4 | Nordic summer's evening, Girl Picking Flowers, Landscape from Halland |
 Nedre Manilla |
Stockholm | 2 | Author Per Hallström and his wife Helga, Portrait of August Strindberg |
 Statens Museum For Kunst |
Copenhagen | 2 | Portrait of the Painter Nils Kreuger, The Old People by the Beach |
 National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design |
Oslo | 1 | Painting |
 National Portrait Gallery of Sweden |
Strängnäs | 1 | Hjalmar Branting, 1860-1925 |
 Thiel Gallery |
Stockholm | 1 | The Knight and the Maiden |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
In this oil on canvas, the artist Richard Bergh captures a moment of quiet permanence. The portrait, titled Julius Caspar, Merchant, presents a man defined by his station and the steady weight of his years. He sits within a controlled, intimate space, his presence anchored by the gravity of his profession and the stillness of the room. The work was created about 1904.
Julius Caspar, Merchant (1904), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Self-Portrait (1874) and Johan Kindborg, 1861-1907, konstnär, gift med trägravören Emy Edman (1884) come next.
46 years old: Julius Caspar, Merchant dates from 1904, and Richard Bergh was born in 1858.
Julius Caspar, Merchant, Self-Portrait, Johan Kindborg, 1861-1907, konstnär, gift med trägravören Emy Edman, Painting, Sketch for The Knight and the Maid, Author Per Hallström and his wife Helga, Portrait of August Strindberg, Portrait of Bodil Faber, Ellen. The Artist's Daughter and Sea Landscape off Honfleur. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 34 works by Richard Bergh, dated from 1874 to 1911.
Mostly in Nationalmuseum (Stockholm), Gothenburg Museum of Art (Gothenburg) and Nedre Manilla (Stockholm). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1880s: 10 of the 34 works on this page were made then, Johan Kindborg, 1861-1907, konstnär, gift med trägravören Emy Edman among them.
On this page, the earliest is Self-Portrait (1874) and the latest The Verger's House at Tyresö (1911).
Oil On Canvas, for 2 of the 34 works on this page.
Julius Caspar, Merchant, Self-Portrait and Johan Kindborg, 1861-1907, konstnär, gift med trägravören Emy Edman: the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm holds 22 of the works on this page.
Born in Stockholm City, Sweden, Richard Bergh was a painter, art critic, and museum manager. His formal training began under Edvard Perséus before he attended the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from 1878 to 1881. Seeking further instruction, he traveled to Paris to study under Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Colarossi, eventually exhibiting at the Salon in 1883. While many of his contemporaries embraced Impressionism, Bergh preferred the Naturalism of artists like Jules Bastien-Lepage and rejected the practice of creating landscapes en plein aire.
Bergh was a central figure in the Opponenterna, a group of Swedish artists protesting outmoded teaching methods at the Academy. This movement led to the creation of the Artists' Association, where Bergh served as secretary. In 1896, he coined the term stämningsmåleri, or "mood painting," describing a subjective style that moved away from realism. His later years were marked by a shift toward Romantic Nationalism, a preference strengthened by a stay in Italy between 1897 and 1898.
In 1904, Bergh settled in Storängen, Nacka Municipality, in a home designed by architect Albin Brag. Despite his retirement to the Villa Bergh, he returned to public service in 1915 when he was appointed curator and director of the Nationalmuseum. During this time, he worked on modernization projects and wrote various essays regarding art and his involvement with the Opponenterna.
His artistic output includes several significant works, such as:
