Christian Ferdinand Andreas Mølsted (15 October 1862 – 10 May 1930) 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 ...

artist who specialized in

marine painting Marine art or maritime art is a form of figurative art (that is, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture) that portrays or draws its main inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea—a genre parti ...

. He is best known for his painting of the frigate ''Niels Juel'' during the Battle of Heligoland on 9 May 1864.

Biography

Born in

Dragør Dragør () is the main town of Dragør Municipality, (Denmark), which includes the village of Store Magleby. The city hall and seat of the municipal council lies on Kirkevej 7 (postal code 2791 Dragør) in Store Magleby, which has enough space f ...

, he was the son of Andreas Adolf Nikolaj Mølsted, a fisherman, and Ane Hans-Nielsdatter. With financial support from a relative, he completed his education 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 ...

at '' Det tekniske Selskab'' where he graduated in 1879. After sailing to

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

that summer on the frigate ''

Jylland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

'', he entered the

Danish Academy Danish Academy is an independent organisation founded in 1960 by a circle of Danish intellectuals "to promote Danish esprit and language, especially within the field of literature". It has up to 20 members, currently 18, and is based at Rungstedl ...

in October 1880, under the tutelage of

Frederik Vermehren Johan Frederik (Frits) Nikolai Vermehren, also known as Frederik Vermehren (12 May 1823 – 10 January 1910), a genre and portrait painter in the realist style. His artistic career took place during the period of Danish art known as the Golden ...

, Jorgen Roed,

Julius Exner Johan Julius Exner, (30 November 1825 – 15 November 1910), Danish genre painter, was born in Copenhagen to Johann Gottlieb Exner, a Czech musician from Bohemia, who came to Denmark during the Napoleonic period, and his wife Karen Jørgensdat ...

and

Carl Bloch Carl Heinrich Bloch (23 May 1834 – 22 February 1890) was a Danish artist. Biography He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and studied there at the Royal Danish Academy of Art (''Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi'') under Wilhelm Marstrand ...

. During his studies, he travelled to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

where he was able to observe the trends in contemporary art. His first showing came in 1884 and he continued to be a regular participant in the

Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition The Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition (''Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling'') is an annual art exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event is held at the Charlottenborg Exhibition Building (''Kunsthal Charlottenborg''). Kunsthal Charlottenborg ...

. He graduated from the Academy in January 1885, set out to become a marine painter and received instruction from two local self-taught artists in Dragør, Commander Peder Foss (1821-1882) and the pilot, Hendrik Strømberg (1840-1916). In 1889, he was awarded the for his ''Ships in the Harbor at Larsens Plads''. His subjects are for the most part taken from the coasts around Copenhagen or in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. Among the artist’s favorite subjects were the heroic battles of captains

Peter Tordenskjold Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720), commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (), was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the ran ...

and

Peter Willemoes Peter Willemoes (11 May 1783 – 22 March 1808) was a Danish naval officer. He fell in the Battle of Zealand Point. He is commemorated by a statue on the harbourfront in his native town of Assens. Early life and education Willemoes was born ...

. Historical details, as well as detailed information about the ships, was provided for the paintings by Otto Dorge, a local expert in Dragør. Later in life, he also created

genre paintings Genre painting (or petit genre), a form of genre art, depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity can be attached ...

. Mølsted's works were widely appreciated for his perfectionist approach, his attention to historical detail and his ability to bring things to life. He died on 10 May 1930 in Dragør and is buried in the cemetery at Dragør Church. His studio in Dragør now serves as a museum of his works. The display contains a wide range of his artwork from his marine paintings to local subjects."Museums and Culture"
, ''Welcome to Dragør''. Retrieved 19 May 2011.

Selected works

*''En engelsk Brig erobres af danske Kanonbaade'' (1887) *''Peder Bredals Skibe ises ud af Nyborg-Fjord'' (1891) *''Om Bord i Fregatten Niels Juel, under Kampen ved Helgoland den 9. Maj 1864'' (1898) *''Slaget paa Reden; Willemoes om Bord i det Gernerske Flaadebatteri (1901)'' *''Willemoes' Død om Bord i Linieskibet Prinds Christian Frederik, under Kampen ved Sjællands Odde (1906)'' *''Aalefiskere; Efleraarsstemning i Drogden'' (1908) *''Solopgang i Drogden'' (1909) *''Tordenskjolds Landgang i Marstrand'' (1910).

Gallery

File:Ombord på frigatten Niels Juel cropped.jpg, ''On Board the HDMS

Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish admiral and a naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, ...

'' File:Mølsted Gennembruddet under Slaget paa Køge Bugt 1ste Juli 1677.jpg, ''Battle of

Køge Bay Køge Bay ( da, Køge Bugt) is an approximately shallow Danish bay in the southern part of Øresund, between Greater Copenhagen area in the North (or more precisely the southernmost peak of Amager) and Stevns Klint in the South, and as a par ...

'' File:Mølsted Engelsk brig angribes af dansk-norske kanonbåde 1896.jpg, ''An English Brig Taken by
Danish Gunboats'' File:Skeppet Svärdet by Christian Mølsted.jpg, ''Sinking of the

Svärdet ''Svärdet'' ( Swedish: "the sword") was a Swedish warship that sank on 1 June 1676 at the Battle of Öland during the Scanian War, with most of its crew. History ''Svärdet'' was, during the Scanian War, under the command of Claes Uggla, ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molsted, Christian 1862 births 1930 deaths People from Dragør Municipality Danish marine artists Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists