Above the clouds

This vase, painted by Arthus Boesen (1870-1949), is notable for its unusual choice of subject. We see three military biplanes high above the clouds. So high that they almost fly out of the panorama at the top. What is striking is how accurately Boesen has captured the light above and on the clouds, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. That would be remarkable, since flying, especially at such an altitude, was available to very few people at the time.

The planes – one with a Danish flag on its rudder – resemble the de Havilland DH9. Initially developed as First World War bombers by the English manufacturer Airco, they were also used by Denmark’s national airline, Det Danske Luftfartselkab, founded in 1918. Two events involving a DH9 could have prompted Arthus Boesen to choose this exceptional subject.

Firstly, on 2 January 1919, an Airco DH9 broke the world altitude record at a dizzying height of 13,900 meters. And later that year, a DH9 was the fastest of the single-engine planes that competed in a prestigious air race from London to Sydney. With aviation still in its infancy, it took the pilots no fewer than 206 days to complete the flight! Whether the extensive media attention during this period inspired Boessen remains a mystery, but he has brilliantly captured the magical experience of flying high above the clouds.