1
Signe Scheel Paintings: The 16 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye
Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 16 works by Signe Scheel in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Signe Scheel's most famous painting is Study of Light (1884), whose original hangs in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo. Portrait of Marie Tannæs (1892) and The Artist's Home, Undesløs, at Toten (1888) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 16 works by Signe Scheel in our catalog, the gallery presents the 16 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
1860 – 1942, Hamar Municipality
Most works: National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
The gallery's top 10 Signe Scheel paintings
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Signe Scheel paintings, ranked 11 to 16
11
Mary's Visit to Elizabeth1906 · Trondheim Kunstmuseum
12
Portrait of Lilli Scheel1914 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
13
Self-Portrait1916 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
14
The Manor Undesløs at Toten1892 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
15
Street in Rothenburg1905 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
16
Flowers at the Window1923 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
Mary's Visit to Elizabeth1906 · Trondheim Kunstmuseum
12Portrait of Lilli Scheel1914 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
13Self-Portrait1916 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
14The Manor Undesløs at Toten1892 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
15Street in Rothenburg1905 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
16Flowers at the Window1923 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
The museums that keep Signe Scheel's originals
The 3 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Signe Scheel | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design |
Oslo | 14 | Study of Light, The Artist's Home, Undesløs, at Toten, Portrait of Sara Scheel |
 Oslo Museum |
Oslo | 1 | Portrait of Marie Tannæs |
 Trondheim Kunstmuseum |
Trondheim | 1 | Mary's Visit to Elizabeth |
Signe Scheel, one signature painting per decade
Works per decade
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
Signe Scheel's paintings: the gallery answers
Which Signe Scheel painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer
Study of Light (1884), National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo. Portrait of Marie Tannæs (1892) and The Artist's Home, Undesløs, at Toten (1888) come next.
How old was Signe Scheel on completing Study of Light?Reveal the answer
24 years old: Study of Light dates from 1884, and Signe Scheel was born in 1860.
Which are Signe Scheel's top 10 paintings?Reveal the answer
Study of Light, Portrait of Marie Tannæs, The Artist's Home, Undesløs, at Toten, Portrait of Sara Scheel, Psyche, Portrait of the Painter Helga Ring (Reusch), Figure Study of the Painter Helga Ring (Reusch), Halvakt, Portrait of Tora Scheel, The Artist's Sister and Portrait of Valborg Nicolaysen, the Artist's Sister. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
How many works did Signe Scheel create?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 16 works by Signe Scheel, dated from 1884 to 1923.
Where do Signe Scheel's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Oslo), Oslo Museum (Oslo) and Trondheim Kunstmuseum (Trondheim). The museum table above lists them all.
When did Signe Scheel create the most famous paintings?Reveal the answer
In 1890s: 6 of the 16 works on this page were made then, Portrait of Marie Tannæs among them.
Which are Signe Scheel's earliest and latest famous works?Reveal the answer
On this page, the earliest is Study of Light (1884) and the latest Flowers at the Window (1923).
Which Signe Scheel originals does the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design hold?Reveal the answer
Study of Light, The Artist's Home, Undesløs, at Toten and Portrait of Sara Scheel: the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo holds 14 of the works on this page.
Signe Scheel: the artist
A life near the water and the brush
Signe Scheel spent her early years at Villa Ekely, where the presence of Lake Mjøsa was a constant neighbor. Born in Hamar, she grew up in a large family of eleven children. Her talent first caught the eye of Hans Gude, a friend of her father, who encouraged her to pursue the brush. This support allowed her to move toward formal training, eventually leading her back to Kristiania at the age of twenty.
Her education was shaped by several hands across different cities. In Norway, she studied under Christian Krohg and attended the women's class at the art school run by Krohg, Heyerdahl, and Werenskiold. She also learned from Eilif Peterssen. Her studies took her beyond Norway to Berlin, where she worked with Karl Gussow, and to Paris, where she attended the Académie Colarossi under Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret.
The eye for detail and light
Her work often focused on the people closest to her. She frequently used her mother and sisters as models, finding a quiet efficiency in their presence. While portraiture remained close to her heart, her interests shifted toward landscapes and figures within nature. She had a way of placing subjects within their surroundings, connecting them to the space they occupied.
As she painted, her technique changed. She was a colorist who used light to find different nuances in a single shade. Over time, her brushwork became broader and her expression grew rougher. Her body of work, estimated between 120 and 140 pieces, shows this progression from precise observation to a more textured approach.
Recognition and presence
She debuted at the Autumn Exhibition in Kristiania in 1884 with a portrait of her sister, Mrs. Frederikke Lütken. This early success was followed by frequent exhibitions at the Høstutstillingen. Some of her notable pieces include:
- The Lord's Servant, which is held in the National Museum of Art in Oslo.
- Portrait of the Painter Helga Ring (Reusch) from 1890.
- Psyche from 1888.
- Self-Portrait from 1916.
- Interior with woman reading from 1894.
Her paintings are kept in important collections, including the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo. She lived much of her life in places like Skrivergarden Undesløs and eventually passed away in Oslo in 1942.