Adam August Müller (16 August 1811 – 15 March 1844), a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

history painter History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

, was one of

Eckersberg Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Dani ...

's favourite students. Generally unhealthy and dead at 32, his work is recognized as an important component in Danish art. His favourite subjects were historical and religious themes.

Biography

A son of Bishop

Peter Erasmus Müller Peter Erasmus Müller (29 May 1776 – 4 September 1834), was a Danish historian, linguist, theologian, and bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1830 until his death. Career Müller studied at the University of Copenhagen, where he passed his th ...

(1776-1834), he was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. In 1825, he became a student of

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Dani ...

(1783– 1853) at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

, joining the Model School in 1828. The following year, he exhibited ' ("

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

, standing behind a pillar, sees Gulnare") and the following year exhibited a number of portraits, two of which were purchased for the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

. Philip Weilbach
Müller, Adam August, 1811-44
Dansk biografisk leksikon, Vol 11, p. 565, C. F. Bricka, ''Gyldendal'', Copenhagen 1887–1905. He was awarded a silver medal in 1833 and the gold medal in 1836. In 1838, he competed with

Heinrich Eddelien Matthias Heinrich Elias Eddelien (22 January 1802 – 24 December 1852) was a Danish history painter of German origin. Biography Eddelien was born in Greifswald, Germany. He was the son of David Niclas Erdelien and Johanna Dorothea Jäde. Edd ...

for a scholarship to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Eddelein prevailed but, thanks to the intercession of

Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...

, Müller received some travel money as well. In 1839, he went to Italy after a short stay in Munich. His studies of Florentine painting encouraged him to adopt a new approach to religious painting, emulating the old Italian style. This earned him the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within the visual arts. It ...

for "Christ Blesses the Four Evangelists", painted in 1843 after he had returned to Denmark. He had only just recovered from a serious illness when he went to Italy and was frequently ill while there. After his return to Copenhagen, his health deteriorated and he died there, leaving several unfinished commissions.

Selected works

*' (1829) *' (1831) *' (1832) *' (1832) *' (1833) *' (1834) *', altarpiece (1834) *' (1835) *' (1836) *' (1838) *' (1838) *' (1842) *' (1843)

Gallery

File:Müller Den vertabte Søns Hjemkomst 1843.jpg, ''Homecoming of the

Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus Christ in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus shares the parable with ...

'' (1843) File:Müller Aladdin 1831.jpg, ''

Tries to Catch the Falling Orange'' (1831) File:Adam August Müller - Sovende mand overvåget af to unge piger.jpg, ''Sleeping Man with
Two Young Girls'' (1828) File:Adam Müller - Partie af Antiksalen paa Charlottenborg - 1830.jpg, '' The Hall of Antiquities at Charlottenborg Palace, Copenhagen'' (1830),

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

File:Müller Den Saarede Herluf Trolle 1832.jpg, ''

Herluf Trolle Herluf Trolle (14 January 1516 – 25 June 1565) was a Danish naval hero, Admiral of the Fleet and co-founder of Herlufsholm School (''Herlufsholm Skole og Gods''), a private boarding school at Næstved on the island of Zealand in Denmark. ...

Returns to

Herlufsholm School Herlufsholm School ( da, Herlufsholm Skole og Gods) is a private day and boarding school by the River Suså in Næstved, about south of Copenhagen. Herlufsholm was founded in 1565 as a boarding school for "sons of noble and other honest men" on ...

'' (1832)

References

External links

More works by Müller
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Mueller, Adam August 1811 births 1844 deaths Artists from Copenhagen Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 19th-century painters of historical subjects 19th-century Danish male artists