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Lot Essay
'Denmark's unfortunate late entry into the Napoleonic Wars on the side of Napoleon led to it's surrender of many of its posessions, not the least of which were Sweden and Denmark itself. It's power declining, the country had declared bankruptcy by 1813. However, cultural life flowered in Denmark during this period, with literature, the fine arts, and the decorative arts stimulated to such a degree that the period came to be known as the Danish Golden Age, lasting from about 1810 to 1850. ... For the first time a national school of painting became evident. Devoted to purely Danish ideals within the context of the Empire, or Biedermeier, style, this movement witnessed the appearance of a Danish School of flower painting. Gradually, we have learned what an important role that genre played in the development of the Danish School; a number of excellent practitioners worked at this time including Hermania Neergaard (1799-1874), Hanne Hellesen (1801-1844), Christine Lövmand (1803-1872), Otto Didrik Ottesen (1816-1892), and Johan Laurentz Jensen, the last of whom was the most outstanding still life painter of the Danish Golden Age' (I. Bergström, Johan Laurentz Jensen, Father of Danish Flower Painting, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc. New York, ex. cat., 1989, p. 5).
Born in Gjentofte near Copenhagen in 1800, Johan Laurentz Jensen began his artistic education at the outstandingly young age of 14 and successfuly attended the Royal Danish Academy of Art - he won two silver medals, one in 1817 and another in 1818. Following his formal education at the academy, he travelled to Paris in 1822. Jensen was given a letter of recommendation by the Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark to be presented to the Director of the porcelain manufactory at Sévres, where Jensen studied for several months. Upon his return to Denemark in 1825 he was appointed Principal Painter at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory and soon after he was given the title of Royal Flower Painter by the King of Denmark. Nevertheless, his greatest passion lay in easel painting and Jensen pursued his interest until his death in 1856.
Between the years of 1833 and 1835 Jensen lived in Rome and was tightly connected with the large Danish artist colony in that city. His most important connection during this time period was the classicaslly trained and highly celebrated sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who would lend his antiquities collection to Jensen for his still-lives (see lot 73). He also purchased some six paintings of Jensen which are now on view at the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.
Born in Gjentofte near Copenhagen in 1800, Johan Laurentz Jensen began his artistic education at the outstandingly young age of 14 and successfuly attended the Royal Danish Academy of Art - he won two silver medals, one in 1817 and another in 1818. Following his formal education at the academy, he travelled to Paris in 1822. Jensen was given a letter of recommendation by the Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark to be presented to the Director of the porcelain manufactory at Sévres, where Jensen studied for several months. Upon his return to Denemark in 1825 he was appointed Principal Painter at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory and soon after he was given the title of Royal Flower Painter by the King of Denmark. Nevertheless, his greatest passion lay in easel painting and Jensen pursued his interest until his death in 1856.
Between the years of 1833 and 1835 Jensen lived in Rome and was tightly connected with the large Danish artist colony in that city. His most important connection during this time period was the classicaslly trained and highly celebrated sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who would lend his antiquities collection to Jensen for his still-lives (see lot 73). He also purchased some six paintings of Jensen which are now on view at the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.