August Andreas Jerndorff (25 January 1846 – 28 July 1906) was 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 ...

painter who is best known for his portraits.

Biography

August Jarndorff was born in

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. His parents were Just Ulrik Jerndorff (1806-1847), painter to the Oldenburg Court, and Nancy Caroline née Jones (1809-1877). He trained first under Christian Hetsch (1830–1903), artistic director at the

Royal Porcelain Factory Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory ( da, Den Kongelige Porcelænsfabrik), is a Danish manufacturer of porcelain products and was founded in Copenhagen in 1775 under the protection of Danish Dowager Queen Juliane Marie. It is ...

. He attended 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 ...

from 1863 to 1868 and studied privately with

P. C. Skovgaard Peter Christian Thamsen Skovgaard (known as P. C. Skovgaard; 4 April 1817 – 13 April 1875) was a Danish national romantic landscape painter. He is one of the main figures associated with the Golden Age of Danish Painting. He is especially known ...

(1817–1875). He made his debut as a painter in 1866. In 1869, he received the Neuhausens Prize. In 1875, he received the Royal Academy's travel scholarship and traveled 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 ...

, where he lived from 1875 to 1878. He became acquainted with but remained relatively unaffected by the latest Realist tendencies in European painting. In 1880, alongside

Laurits Tuxen Laurits Regner Tuxen (9 December 1853 – 21 November 1927) was a Danish painter and sculptor specialising in figure painting. He was also associated with the Skagen Painters. He was the first head of Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, an art school ...

(1853–1927) and Frans Schwartz (1850–1917), he was a co-founder of a painting academy at

Søkvæsthuset Søkvæsthuset is a former Naval hospice located on Christianshavn Canal in the Christianshavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The listed building housed the Royal Danish Naval Museum indtil 2016. The collection has been moved to and is exhibite ...

Christianshavn Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of th ...

in Copenhagen which served as a precursor of

Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler was an art school established in Copenhagen in 1882 as a protest against the policies of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and to provide an alternative to its educational program. It existed until 1912 and was a c ...

which were founded two years later. He received 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 ...

in 1884 and became a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1891.

Paintings

Jerndorff started his career as a landscape painter under the influence of Skovgaard, but soon turned to portrait painting and Biblical subjects. He is best known for a number of monumental portraits which were painted for the Danish museum of National History at

Frederiksborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...

. His religious paintings include ''12 Apostles'' for Jesus Church in Copenhagen, altar pieces for Saint Peter's Church and the church in

Nykøbing Mors Nykøbing Mors is the largest town on the island of Mors in the Limfjord in Denmark. The town received its charter in 1299 and has a population of 9,033 (1 January 2022).

, and landscapes.

Decorative arts

Together with

Thorvald Bindesbøll Thorvald Bindesbøll (21 July 1846 – 27 August 1908) was a Danish National romantic architect, sculptor and ornamental artist. He designed the Dragon Fountain, Copenhagen (''Dragespringvandet'') and is perhaps best known as the creator of t ...

Otto Haslund Carl Otto Bentzon Haslund (4 November 1842 – 30 August 1917) was a Danish painter. He is remembered in particular for his paintings of animals and children. Biography Born in Copenhagen, Haslund attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts f ...

, and

Joakim Skovgaard Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate Viborg Cathedral. Biography Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and paintin ...

, Jerndorff also worked with ceramics in the mid-1880s, a collaboration that led to the foundation of the Dekorationsforeningen society in 1887. With the same collaborators he illustrated

Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movement. Early yea ...

's ''Troldhøj''.

Personal life

In 1875, he married Betty Marie Matthison-Hansen (1856-1940). His son

Peter Jerndorff Peter William Jerndorff (24 November 1842 – 23 December 1926) was a Danish stage actor and opera singer. Amongst the roles he created were Dr. Rank in Ibsen's 1879 play ''A Doll's House'' and Leonard in Carl Nielsen's 1906 opera ''Maskarade''. T ...

(1842–1926) was a stage actor and opera singer.

Gallery

Image:Japetus Steenstrup (Jerndorff).jpg,

Japetus Steenstrup Johannes Japetus Smith Steenstrup FRS(For) HFRSE (8 March 1813 – 20 June 1897) was a Danish zoologist, biologist, and professor. Life Born in Vang, Thy on 8 March 1813, he held a lectorate in mineralogy in Sorø until 1845 when he became a ...

, 1885 Image:J C Jacobsen.jpg,

J.C. Jacobsen Jacob Christian Jacobsen (2 September 1811 – 30 April 1887), mostly known as J. C. Jacobsen, was a Denmark, Danish industrialist and philanthropist best known for founding the brewery Carlsberg Group, Carlsberg. Biography He had no formal acad ...

, 1886 Image:J.B.S. Estrup (Jerndorff painting).jpg,

Jacob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup Jacob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup, (16 April 1825 – 24 December 1913), was a Denmark, Danish politician, member of the Højre party. He was Interior Minister (Denmark), Interior Minister from 1865 to 1869 in the Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind- ...

, 1895 Image:Carl Jacobsen (Jerndorff).jpg,

Carl Jacobsen Carl Christian Hillman Jacobsen (2 March 1842 – 11 January 1914) was a Danish brewer, art collector and philanthropist. Though often preoccupied with his cultural interests, Jacobsen was a shrewd and visionary businessman and initiated the tra ...

, 1893

References