Hans Hilsoe was born in Denmark, south of Copenhagen in 1871. Hilsoe was to become one of a group of Danish artists who specialised in painting tranquil, contemplative interior scenes, the foremost of whom were Vilhelm Hammershoi (1864 – 1916), together with his friend Carl Holsøe (1863 – 1935) and his brother in law Peder Ilsted (1861 – 1933).

Hilsoe, some eight years younger than Holsøe, and with whom his work is most comparable, would have seen the paintings of his near namesake at the exhibitions at Charlottenborg, home of the Royal Danish Academy of Art. Hilsoe’s interiors are characterised by a fine sense of detail and use of light from external sources, doors and windows, to illuminate and highlight features and create a sense of depth in his compositions.

Hilsoe also painted landscapes, portraits and coastal scenes but it was for his highly finished Danish interiors that he was widely known and appreciated.