David Ivanovich Jensen (Russian: Давид Иванович Йенсен, 19 November 1816,

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 ...

- 23 January 1902,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

) was a Russian decorative sculptor and art professor.

Biography

His father, Jens Holmgren, was a carpenter. He studied 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 ...

, under the direction 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 ...

. In 1841, the Academy awarded him a large gold medal for his

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

of Christ in the house of

Martha Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to ...

and Mary. That same year, he was one of many who received a commission to do sculptural work at the new palace of

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (Maria Nikolaevna Romanova; Russian: Великая Княжна Мария Николаевна, 17 July 1918) was the third daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. He ...

(now known as the

Marinsky Palace Mariinsky Palace (), also known as Marie Palace, was the last neoclassical Imperial residence to be constructed in Saint Petersburg. It was built between 1839 and 1844, designed by the court architect Andrei Stackenschneider. It houses the ci ...

). His contribution consisted mainly of bas-reliefs and

caryatids A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

. In 1845, for his bas-relief of

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...

teaching

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...

to use a bow, he was granted the title of "Free Artist" by the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...

. From 1843 to 1847, he also taught drawing at the

Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts The Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (Russian: Императорское общество поощрения художеств (ОПХ)) was an organization devoted to promoting the arts that existed in Saint Petersburg from 182 ...

. His students included Alexander Opekushin and Léopold Bernhard Bernstamm. In 1847, together with , he created the "Заведение для наружных украшений зданий" (Establishment for the Exterior Decorations of Buildings), the first such workshop in Russia to produce sculptural decorations from

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

. In 1857, he was granted Russian citizenship and named an "Academician" for his bas-relief of Achilles with the body of

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

. The Academy awarded him the title of Professor in 1868, for his statue of Diana. He died in 1902 and was interred at the

Smolensky Lutheran Cemetery The Smolenskoye Cemetery (in German ''Smolensker Friedhof'') is a Lutheran cemetery on Dekabristov Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is one of the largest and oldest non-orthodox cemeteries in the city. Until the early 20th century it was one ...

. Most of his work was done for the

Romanovs The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to t ...

. In addition to Marinsky Palace, his works adorn the

New Hermitage The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest ...

, the

Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace Beloselsky Belozersky Palace (Russian: Дворе́ц Белосе́льских-Белозе́рских; also known before the Revolution as the Palace of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna, the Sergei Palace, and the Dmitry Palace) is a Ne ...

, the

Saint Petersburg Manege The Manege is a former riding hall for the Imperial Horse Guards fronting on Saint Isaac's Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was built in 1804–07 to Giacomo Quarenghi, Quarenghi's austere Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival design, on ...

, and the Imperial Rooms of the

Tsarskoye Selo Railway The Tsarskoye Selo Railway (russian: Царскосе́льская желе́зная доро́га) was the first public railway line in the Russian Empire.

, among many others. The

Bolshoi Drama Theater Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater (russian: Большой драматический театр имени Г. А. Товстоногова; literally ''Tovstonogov Great Drama Theater''), formerly known as Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theater (russian: ...

, the Grand Choral Synagogue and the

Grand Hotel Europe The Grand Hotel Europe, A Belmond Hotel (russian: Гранд Отель Европа) is a historic Hotel rating, five-star luxury hotel on Nevsky Prospect in Saint Petersburg, Russia. History One of the great hotels of 19th-century Europe, ...

are his most notable non-Royal commissions. His few monuments include one for the Scottish-born surgeon, Sir James Wylie.

Sources

* * S. N. Kondakov
''Юбилейный справочник Императорской Академии художеств. 1764-1914''
(Anniversary Reference Book of the Imperial Academy), Golike and Vilborg, 1915, pp.255—256 * F. I. Bulgakov: ''Наши художники'' (Our Artists), A. S. Suvorina Publishing, 1889, pp,160—161

External links

Brief biography
@ the Encyclopedia Saint Petersburg
Detailed biography
@ the Golden Palette Art Journal
David Jensen: Behind the Façade
@ the Danish Cultural Institute (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, David 1816 births 1902 deaths Russian sculptors Danish emigrants to Russia Artists from Copenhagen Burials at Smolensky Lutheran Cemetery