Jørgen Balthasar Dalhoff (11 November 1800 - 2 March 1890) 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 ...

goldsmith and industrialist.

Early life and education

Dalhoff was born on 11 November 1800 in Ønslev on Falster, the son of Peder Dalhoff (1757-1827) and Anna Margrethe Plesner (1766-1817). At age 15, he was sent to

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 ...

where he apprenticed as a goldsmith until 1820. He gained a reputation for being a skillful engraver and created several fine candlesticks for

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...

in his brother Knud Plesner Dalhoff's (1794-1832) brazier workshop. He went on a three-year study trip abroad from 1824 to 1827, visiting Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Naples, and Paris. In Rome, he formed a friendship with

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 ...

of whom he created a bust. He also enrolled 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 under G. F. Hetsch.

Career

Back in Copenhagen, in 1829, he was by royal resolution licensed as a master goldsmith, with a right to work in all materials, and was in 1833 appointed as royal court goldsmith. Dalhoff was also active as a bronze caster. His firstwork in this field was E. Freund's fountain ''Boy on Swann'' for

Rosenborg Castle Gardens Rosenborg Castle Gardens (Danish: Kongens Have literally The King's Garden) is the oldest and most visited park in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in the early 17th century as the private gardens of King Christian IV's Rosenborg Castle, th ...

in 1837. Other commissions were the four colossal Bertel Thorvaldsen statues for Christiansborg Palace (Skt. Jørgens gård), the sculptures group for the roof of

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 ...

, and the Jupiter relief for the facade of Christiansborg Palace. After Christian VIII's death, Dalhoff increasingly engaged in a more industrialized production of products in

galvanoplasty Electrotyping (also galvanoplasty) is a chemical method for forming metal parts that exactly reproduce a model. The method was invented by Moritz von Jacobi in Russia in 1838, and was immediately adopted for applications in printing and several o ...

and

German silver Nickel silver, Maillechort, German silver, Argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver does not contain the eleme ...

as well as lacquered trays and tinned iron pots. He obtained several patents on technical inventions and installed a central heating system at the College of Advanced Technologies in 1859 .He visited many of the great exhibitions in Germany, Austria, France and England.

Other activities

Dalhoff was a teacher at the Academy from 1827 to 1864. He instigated the foundation of Industriforenignen in 1838, was a board member until 1865, and appointed as honorary member in 1885. He was appointed as an honorary member of the Association of Craftsmen in Copenhagen in 1876. Dalhoff wrote his memoirs in 1888. They were published posthumously by his son N. C. Dalhoff.

References

External links

Source

Memoirs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalhoff, Jorgen Balthasar Danish goldsmiths 19th-century Danish metalsmiths Danish industrialists 19th-century Danish inventors Academic staff of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts People from Falster 1800 births 1890 deaths