Although "Drottning Kristina och Monaldeschi" was popular, Höckert rose to fame in 1855 with his painting "Gudstjänst i Lövmokks fjällkapell" (English: "Worship service in Lövmokk's fell chapel"). It was inspired by a sketch Höckert had made while traveling in Lapland, and he thought it would draw attention to itself. The painting was put on display at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris, and Höckert was awarded with a gold medal for it. French critics characterized it as a piece of French art, commenting that Höckert was most likely influenced by Eugène Delacroix and Thomas Couture. The painting was then bought by Napoleon III of France and was given to the art museum in Lille. Its current home is the National Museum of Arts in Sweden. At this time, Höckert became recognized as one of Sweden's foremost figure painters.