William Hammer - A Basket of Strawberries

William Hammer (31 July 1821 – 9 May 1889) was a Danish artist who specialized in painting still lifes of flowers and fruits.

Biography

Born in Copenhagen, he was the son of Johanne (née Bistrup) and Peder Pedersen Hammer. His elder brother, Hans Jørgen Hammer (1815–1882), was also a painter. 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 Dan ...

from 1833 to 1839. In 1853, he was awarded the Neuhausen Prize and the same year received the Academy's travel support, which was renewed the following year. After visiting

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

he was back home in 1855. In 1860, he was awarded the

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. I ...

for his painting ''Korn og frugter under et æbletræ'' (

National Gallery of Denmark 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 ...

). Hammer participated in the decoration of rooms in the

Thorvaldsen 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 locat ...

under the leadership of

Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

. In 1871, he became a member of the Royal Academy. In later life, he travelled to Italy to investigate archaeological finds. He was an avid collector of antiquities, especially Greek clay lamps. This resulted in the publication of his book ''Om de antike lerlamper'' (Copenhagen: G.C. Ursin. 1887).

Personal life

In 1853, Hammer was married to Juliette Quintilia Friedenburg (1821-1898). He died at the

Copenhagen Municipal Hospital Copenhagen Municipal Hospital ( Danish: Københavns Kommunehospital) was a hospital that existed from 1863 until 1999 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Its buildings, located on Øster Farimagsgade, opposite Copenhagen Botanical Garden, now form part of the ...

during 1889 and was buried at

Assistens Cemetery Assistens Cemetery ( da, Assistens Kirkegård) is the name of a number of cemeteries in Denmark. The common nominator is, as the first part of the name implies (Latin: ''assistens'' meaning assisting), an assisting cemetery for a town's churches. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammer, William 1821 births 1889 deaths 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters Artists from Copenhagen Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 19th-century Danish male artists