David Monies (3 June 1812,

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 ...

- 29 April 1894,

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

) was a Danish portrait and

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter.

Biography

His father, Salomon (1786-1853) was a Jewish businessman from the Netherlands. Originally wealthy, the family lost all of its money during the

Danish state bankruptcy of 1813 The Danish state bankruptcy of 1813 was a domestic economic crisis that began in January 1813 and had consequential effects until 1818. As Denmark-Norway struggled with the financial burden that the Napoleonic Wars had on the economy, the dev ...

and the children were raised in poverty. He and his brothers were forced to work at their father's small cigar factory and peddle what they made in the street.Brief biography
@ Den Store Danske. David Monies self-portrait

However, when he was only twelve, he had already gained access to classes 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 ...

, where he studied with J.L. Lund.Biographical notes
@ the Kunstindeks Danmark. He soon began painting and exhibiting portraits. During the early 1830s, he gained many supporters and admirers in the professional and artistic communities, although his female portraits are generally considered to be too conventional and less interesting; possibly related to shyness due to his youth. He also began to do genre paintings at this time. Many featured his fellow artists as part of the ensembles. He applied for the "", an arts and sciences fund created by King

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: * Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) *Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble *Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick III ...

, but the Academy found his drawing skills deficient; advising him to travel and create sketches that could be developed later. As a result, he was given a small travel stipend. Initially, he went with

Wilhelm Marstrand Nicolai Wilhelm Marstrand (24 December 1810 – 25 March 1873), painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith. Marstrand is one of the most renowned ar ...

and Louis Gurlitt, but later travelled to Munich by himself. After sending several works back home to the Academy, he was awarded money from the fund. Feeling more secure, in 1837 he married Bolette Jacobsen, the daughter of a local merchant. In 1847, he became an "Agré" (a type of member candidate) at the Academy and was promoted to full member the following year. He first won larger public notice with his paintings of troops returning from the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (german: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg) was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswig, ...

. Other historical works fared well, but his attempts to portray the history of the Jewish community were not successful. In 1859, he was named a "Titular Professor" and, in 1867, was awarded the "", a travel scholarship for poets, composers and artists. In 1874, he was appointed

Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

. By this time his, eyesight had already declined to the point where painting was difficult. Two years before his death, he received the "

Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn, also referred to as the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (post-nominals: D.Ht.), is a meritous award connected to the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. The cross was instituted by King Frederick VI of Denm ...

Selected paintings

File:Old Woman Knitting by David Monies.jpg, Old Woman Knitting File:Monies-Harboe.jpg, War Commissioner
Johan Rubring Harboe
(1762-1840) File:Monies-Apples.jpg, Stealing Apples File:Soldaternes indtog i København 1849.jpg, Soldier returning
from the First Schleswig War File:Monies-Bundle.jpg, The Dirty Bundle

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Monies.
@

Projekt Runeberg Project Runeberg ( sv, Projekt Runeberg) is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded ...

.
Paintings

Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monies, David 1812 births 1894 deaths 19th-century Danish painters 19th-century Danish printmakers Danish male painters Danish portrait painters Danish genre painters Jewish painters Jewish Danish artists Painters from Copenhagen Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Danish Jews 19th-century Danish male artists