Home to a vast amount of occult art and rariora, The College of Psychic Studies is, in many ways, a world unto its own. Among its most otherworldy treasures is a collection of haunting works by the Danish artist Arild Rosenkrantz.
Known for his masterful use of pastels, Arild employed colour like a wizard, conjuring up from the tenebrous unseen luminous scenes of spiritual contemplation and mytho-religious drama. Although he took inspiration from the aesthetic theories of the German philosopher and founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner (not to mention other spiritual thinkers), Arild Rosenkrantz was also deeply influenced by his mother, Baroness Julia Rosenkrantz (1840-1911).
According to Arild, it was Julia who first cultivated his early interests in the invisible world. "She had often invited me to draw for her," he wrote in his memoirs, "believing that there was a connection between my talent as an artist and spiritualism."[i] As the young artist's skills became more apparent, Julia brought Arild along to séances and encouraged him to draw automatically.[ii]
Although she is little-remembered today, Julia was one of the most well-connected and active mediums in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her network included many of the international stars of the spiritualist movement, such as Eusapia Palladino, Daniel Dunglas Home, and William T. Stead. Along with her niece, Roma Lister (with whom she carried out a variety of spirit evocations and other psychic experiments), Julia served as a leader and promoter of mediumistic and Theosophical groups in Rome and Florence. Adamant in her belief that mediumship was an effective way to elucidate metaphysical realities, she regularly held and attended séances.
For the most part, unfortunately, witness accounts of these sessions aren't publicly available. However, in her 1898 article "How I Became a Spiritualist" — which was published in the esoteric journal Light — the Italian countess Elena Mainardi recalled events from an 1896 séance with Julia, describing her as one who possessed astounding abilities. It makes for an interesting read:
"Baroness Rosenkrantz was standing up behind my chair and made passes on my head and shoulders, when suddenly my husband opposite to me exclaimed, 'I cannot see my. wife!'
General Cugiani cried out, 'The Countess has vanished!'
The Doctor [Visani-Scozzi] asserted that he did not see me any longer, but that a black pillar was in my place. I heard quite well all these exclamations of surprise, but I did not feel capable of saying a word although I saw the persons present.
They went on to say, 'But how has she vanished?' when all of a sudden they saw me reappear; but it was no longer I. My husband, terrified, called out, 'This is not my wife.'
The Baroness Rosenkrantz bent over me, saying, 'I recognise Hélène Blavatsky.'
She disappeared and I became myself again, recognised by the others to their great satisfaction.
The Baroness Rosenkrantz took a seat beside me at the table, saying to us all, 'Look at me attentively.'
At the end of several moments I saw this lady's face become very young, whilst the Baroness is no longer young. I was looking upon a beauty of twenty years of age."
Even though Arild attended a number of séances with Julia and was personally intrigued by what he saw, Arild never became a spiritualist. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that his experieces with his mother stimulated in him a "desire to penetrate into so many of life's mysteries, to which science can give no satisfactory answer".[iii] While Arild would go on to incorporate much of Steiner's teachings into his designs and creative outlook, he always appreciated his earliest interactions with his mother and her mediumistic circles. "The little I have seen," he said, "has strengthened my conviction."[iv]
A. D. Manns (PhD, The Warburg Institute) is a cultural historian and the author of the forthcoming book, Aradia's Hidden Hand: The Untold Life of Roma Lister (Hexen Press, 2025).
[i] A. Rosenkrantz, Vejen gennem livet, Copenhagen 2020, p. 25.
[ii] Ibid., p. 117.
[iii] Ibid., p. 118
[iv] Ibid. p. 121
Arild Rosenkrantz's works are on display at The College of Psychic Studies.
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