Anders Zorn: Some Personal Recollections . Pt. 2

"Girl Knitting" by Anders Zorn

"It was in midsummer 1916 that I made Anders Zorn's acquaintance, when staying at Fuloberg hut as the guest of Dr. Helling, who attended him in his last illness. Fuloberg is one of those hilltops to which the cattle are driven to make the most of the short summer, and eat the grass which is not found lower down. The hut, a solid wooden building, originally belonged to Zorn but was given by him to Dr. Helling; it was built in the early seventeenth century.

Zorn's own house is in the valley, near Mora Church, and has a verandah with a beautiful view overlooking the river. Upon entering the drawing room I saw Zorn, a huge and rather corpulent man, sitting in an armchair with the tiniest little Yorkshire terrier sitting upon his shoulder. He shook hands and introduced me at once to 'Liten' (little fellow) the dog. 'He is an Englishman too, and he comes from Yorkshire and weighs three and a half pounds, which is less than his master weighs!' He spoke English perfectly, but with a strong foreign accent; his face was much lined, and had a tired, kind look. He told me about his visits to America and England.

Liljefors, the animal painter, then came in, but unfortunately he spoke no English. Mrs. Zorn then asked me to come to see the studio, and there I found wonderful old Dalecarlian tapestries, and solander cases full of Zorn's etchings. 'Some English people are very queer,' said Zorn. 'A man came to see me once and spoke about my etchings, but I could see that he didn't know what an etching was.' I brought him here (in a little side room full of porcelain trays and dishes) and told him that this was where I bit my plates. He looked very astonished, but after thinking a little asked me, 'But don't you find that it injures your teeth?'"

To be continued 

(Excerpts from "Anders Zorn: Some Personal Recollections" in "The International Studio, 1897.)