Midvinterblot is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Swedish painter
Carl Larsson, created in 1915 for the hall of the central staircase in the
Nationalmuseum in
Stockholm. It has been called Sweden's most controversial painting. The work depicts a legend from
Norse mythology in which the Swedish king
Domalde is killed in a sacrifice (
blót) to avert famine. After a long debate, the painting was rejected by the museum, but the controversy resurfaced in the late 20th century, and the painting finally was placed where Larsson had intended.
Painting credit: Carl Larsson; photograph edited by W. Carter