Johan Peter Raadsig (18 October 1806 – 1 July 1882) 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 ...

painter, dealing principally with themes from Danish and Scandinavian history.

Biography

Raadsig was born 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 ...

, Denmark. He was the son of Søren Christian Raadsig and Ellen Pouline Poulsen. His father was a sailing master who died when Peter was very young. His mother remarried and he was raised in Skjoldenæsholm. After his confirmation, he was 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 Dan ...

. While there, he was awarded several silver medals for his portraits and historical images and earned a reputation as a diligent painter. He first exhibited at 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 ...

in 1830. The Royal Collection acquired four of his works between 1833 and 1840. In 1838, he applied for travel support but, despite the recommendation of the Academy, was unsuccessful. He managed to travel some at his own expense. In 1841, he went to Rome, encouraged by some praise he had received from Bertel Thorvaldsen and C.W. Eckersberg. He received no financial help, however, and had to live austerely. He managed to study in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(1841–45) and in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

(1845–46). When he returned, he was able to sell two more works to the Royal Collection. Raadsig was occupied with topics from Danish history, especially as it was perceived in contemporary literature. In 1850 Raadsig made the painting ''Ingolf tager Island i besiddelse'', depicting

Ingólfr Arnarson Ingólfr Arnarson, in some sources named Bjǫrnólfsson, ( – ) is commonly recognized as the first permanent Norse settler of Iceland, together with his wife and foster brother Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson. According to tradition, they settled ...

, the first Norse settler of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, newly arrived on the site of what would become

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, commanding his high seat pillars to be erected. The painting was made at the time when nationalist sentiment was rising in Iceland, a few years after the Icelanders' ancient general assembly, the Alþingi was re-established. The painting is currently on public display at Viðeyjarstofa in

Viðey Viðey (; sometimes anglicised as Videy) is the largest island of the Kollafjörður Bay in Iceland, near the capital of Reykjavík. Overview The island covers ; its highest point is above sea level. The island is divided by a narrow piece ...

(an island near Reykjavík), where a plaque explains that it was a gift to the City of Reykjavík from

Eimskipafélag Íslands Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. is an international shipping company with 55 offices in 20 countries and four continents; Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Eimskip specializes in worldwide freight forwarding services with focus on frozen ...

on the occasion of the 200th birthday of

(1986). He was awarded De Neuhausenske Præmier by the

in Copenhagen in connection with his work ''Vildttyve i forhør hos en birkedommer'' (1857). He never married or had children. He died in Copenhagen and was buried at Valsølille Kirkegård in

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busies ...

. His work is represented in the

National Museum of Denmark The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from Strøget ...

and at museums in Aarhus and

Skagen Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skage ...

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Raadsig.

Peter Raadsig
@ Kunstindeks Danmark {{DEFAULTSORT:Raadsig, Johan Peter 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 1806 births 1882 deaths History painters Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Danish genre painters Artists from Copenhagen 19th-century Danish male artists