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Lot Essay
In 1833 the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts where Eckersberg was professor and director introduced female models to its life drawing classes which had previously only used male models for reasons of propriety. This decision renewed Eckersberg interest in life drawing which he had first practiced while studying with Jacques-Louis David.
In 1840 Eckersberg produced some of his most important and moving paintings and drawings of the female nude, including the present work. Many depicted the same model, a woman named Florentine who he mentions in his diary in September 1840 (Copenhagen, Den Hirschsprungske Samling, Den nogne gulalder - Modelbilleder - C.W. Eckersberg og hans elever, 1994, p. 170) as posing for his painting Female nude, Florentine, an oil on copper now in the Fyns Kunstmuseum, Odense (P. Conisbee et al., Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1783-1853, Washington, D.C., 2003, p. 152, fig. 48). A year later he produced his best-known painting using the same model, Woman in front of a mirror (1841, Hirschsprungske Samling; Conisbee op. cit., p. 155, fig. 49). She is also represented in a pencil drawing dated 21 August 1840 (Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen) and in a drawing sold at Christie's, London, 9 July 2002, lot 109, in which she appears nude in a profile pose very similar to that in the present drawing, with the same distinctive hairstyle.
In 1840 Eckersberg produced some of his most important and moving paintings and drawings of the female nude, including the present work. Many depicted the same model, a woman named Florentine who he mentions in his diary in September 1840 (Copenhagen, Den Hirschsprungske Samling, Den nogne gulalder - Modelbilleder - C.W. Eckersberg og hans elever, 1994, p. 170) as posing for his painting Female nude, Florentine, an oil on copper now in the Fyns Kunstmuseum, Odense (P. Conisbee et al., Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1783-1853, Washington, D.C., 2003, p. 152, fig. 48). A year later he produced his best-known painting using the same model, Woman in front of a mirror (1841, Hirschsprungske Samling; Conisbee op. cit., p. 155, fig. 49). She is also represented in a pencil drawing dated 21 August 1840 (Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen) and in a drawing sold at Christie's, London, 9 July 2002, lot 109, in which she appears nude in a profile pose very similar to that in the present drawing, with the same distinctive hairstyle.