Christen Christensen (18 January 1806 21 August 1845) 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 ance ...

sculptor and medallist. His works as a medallist include 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 ...

C. F. Hansen Medal The C. F. Hansen Medal (Danish: C. F. Hansens Medaille) is awarded annually with few exceptions to one or more recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts for an outstanding contribution to architecture. It is the Academy's highest obtainabl ...

and

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 ...

Early life and education

Christensen was born on 17 January 1806 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 ...

, the son of merchant and later innkeeper John Christensen (d. c. 1819) and Maria Kirstine Birch. He studied at the

and was at the same time in 1819–23 articled to the sculptor

Nicolai Dajon Nicolai Dajon (21 January 1748 – 14 December 1823) was a Danish sculptor. He served as director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1818 to 1821. Life Early life and education Dajon was born on 21 January 1748 in Copenhagen, the son of ...

. He won the Academy's small and large silver medals in 1824, the small gold medal in 1825 and finally the large gold medal in 1827.

Career

Christen Christensen by Caroline Behrend

Christensen was already as a student commissioned to create a number of sculptural works for the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...

and Christianshorg Palace. Instigated by the Academy's ''

praeses ''Praeses'' (Latin ''praesides'') is a Latin word meaning "placed before" or "at the head". In antiquity, notably under the Roman Dominate, it was used to refer to Roman governors; it continues to see some use for various modern positions. ...

'', Prince Christian Frederick, he then decided to continue his education as a medallist. He won a prize for a medal

Christian Frederik Hansen Christian Frederik Hansen (29 February 1756 – 10 July 1845), known as C. F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art (''De ...

and was in addition to the prize money granted an extra remuneration as well as a travel stipend. He then went on a four-year journey abroad in 1831–34 of which he spent three of the years in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He then made his way back to Denmark by way of

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and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

to study medals on the way. In 1835, he was made an associate member (''agreeret'') of the Academy and received as the subject of his admissions work a medal commemorating the homecoming 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 ...

's works. The medal in silver would in the future be awarded to artists for exceptional contributions to the annual Charlottenborg exhibitions. Christensen was based on the model for the medal admitted as member of the Academy in 1838, but his work with the stamps was hit by a number of accidents and it had therefore not yet been completed when the Exhibition Medal was awarded for the first time to

Martinus Rørbye Martinus Christian Wesseltoft Rørbye (; 17 May 1803 – 29 August 1848) was a Danish painter, known both for genre works and landscapes. He was a central figure of the Golden Age of Danish painting during the first half of the 19th century. Th ...

in 1839. In 1842, it was finally possible to present Thorvladsen with the first medal in gold. In 1844, Christensen was made a professor at the Academy's model school. In 1843, he was made a foreign member of the Art Academy in Berlin. In 1845, he was made a foreign member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architec ...

Works

Christensen has created a total of 21 medals. These include ''kometmedaljen'' (1832) and medals commemorating Frederik VI's recovery and death (1839), the reformation anniversary (1836), the royal couple's silver wedding (front side, 1840), Crown Prince Frederick's wedding (front side, 1841), the 100-year anniversary of the

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(1842), Albert Thaer (1833), A. W. Hauch (1838) and Michael Nielsen (1844). His work as a sculptor includes a considerable number of portrait busts and reliefs.

Personal life

Christensen was married to Oline Louise Bugge (22 January 1805 – 9 March 1878), a daughter of master joiner Ole B. (1765–1815) and Gertrud Kirschbaum (1770–1813), on 8 August 1835. He was created a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1843.

Depictions

Christensen is seen in

Wilhelm Bendz Wilhelm Ferdinand Bendz (20 March 1804 – 14 November 1832) was a Danish painter mainly known for genre works and portraits which often portray his artist colleagues and their daily lives. He was one of the most talented artists in the successful ...

's 1827 genre painting ''A sculptor working from live model studies'' (

Danish National Gallery The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...

). He is also seen in Bendz' painting of ''Finchs kaffehus'' (1832.

Thorvaldsens Museum The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life (1796–1838). The museum is locate ...

). He has also been the subject of portrait paintings by

Constantin Hansen Carl Christian Constantin Hansen (Constantin Hansen) (3 November 1804 – 29 March 1880) was one of the painters associated with the Golden Age of Danish Painting. He was deeply interested in literature and mythology, and inspired by art hist ...

(1831,

Hirschsprung Collection The Hirschsprung Collection (Danish: Den Hirschsprungske Samling) is an art museum located on Stockholmsgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in a parkland setting in Østre Anlæg, near the Danish National Gallery, and houses a large colle ...

) and J. V. Gertner (1836, Danish National Gallery). Christensen has also been the subject of portrait drawings by H. Eddelin (1830, Royal Danish Library), H. E. Freund (c. 1830), W. Bendz (1831, Danish National Gallery), Constantin Hansen (1832, Nysø), Gertner (1844), J. L. Lund and Johs. Jensen (Frederiksborg Museum). He has also been portrayed on an etching by Caroline Behrens (1831) and a lithograph by Hanfstaengl (1832).

Gallery

File:Thorvaldsen-Medaljen (sølv).tif, Thorvaldsen Medal, 1838 File:Christen Christensen - Prins Frederik (7.) og prinsesse Mariane Caroline Charlotte.tif, Prince Frederik (VII) and Princess Mariane Caroline Charlotte, 1841 File:Christen Christensen - Christian VIII.tif, Christian VIII Medal, 1842

References

External links

Works
in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christensen, Christen 19th-century Danish medallists 19th-century Danish sculptors 19th-century male artists Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Artists from Copenhagen Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog 1806 births 1845 deaths