Jørgen Von Cappelen Knudtzon
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Jørgen von Cappelen Knudtzon (28 April 178429 July 1854) was a Norwegian businessman and patron of the arts. Born in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
to a prosperous mercantile family of German extraction, he travelled to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, Germany to study commerce. Upon his father's death, he inherited the family business, though his brother-in-law Lorentz Johannsen became its director. With the family firm's trade ships Knudtzon often travelled to foreign destinations in Southeast Asia. At one occasion the ship wrecked; in the subsequent tumult he made friends with the Scot Alexander Baillie, with whom he would later travel around Europe. His profound interest in art was expressed in his numerous donations to artists and his own art collection, which included both antiquities and contemporary artworks. The Danish sculptor
Bertel Thorvaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish-Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor and medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–183 ...
made sculptures of Knudtzon and Baillie; as an expression of gratitude, Knudtzon advocated the creation of a museum dedicated to Thorvaldsen in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
.


Biography

Jørgen von Cappelen Knudtzon was born on 28 April 1784 in Trondheim; he was the second child of Hans Carl Knudtzon (1751–1823), a merchant and politician, and Karen Knudtzon (''née'' Müller, 1752–1818). His father was born in Bredstedt,
North Frisia North Frisia (; ; ; ; ) is the northernmost portion of Frisia, located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, between the rivers Eider River, Eider and Vidå, Wiedau. It also includes the North Frisian Islands and Heligoland. The region is traditionally ...
(now part of the German state of
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
) and had established himself as a leading businessman in Trondheim.Bull, Ida.
Hans Carl Knudtzon
" ''
Norsk biografisk leksikon is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia. It is part of the '' Great Norwegian Encyclopedia''. Origin The first print edition (NBL1) was issued between 1923 and 1983; it included 19 volumes and 5,100 articles. Kunnskapsforlaget to ...
.'' Ed.
Knut Helle Knut Helle (19 December 1930 – 27 June 2015) was a Norwegian historian. A professor at the University of Bergen from 1973 to 2000, he specialized in the late medieval history of Norway. He has contributed to several large works. Early life, ...
. Vol. 5. Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget, 2002. Web. 22 Dec. 2011.
In 1794, with the family firm flourishing financially, Knudtzon enrolled at a military academy in Copenhagen. He was, however, contemptuous of a possible military career, and decided to travel to the German city of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
to study commerce. Bratberg, Terje.
Jørgen Knudtzon – 2
" ''Norsk biografisk leksikon.'' Ed. Knut Helle. Vol. 5. Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget, 2002. Web. 22 Dec. 2011.
Jørgen von Cappelen Knudtzon did not belong to the Norwegian Cappelen family but was named after a friend of his father from that family. Following his father's death, his brother-in-law Lorentz Johannsen (1769–1837) became director of the family business. Knudtzon saw the opportunity to travel to foreign destinations as supercargo on the firm's trade ships; he once travelled to the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
in a ship that wrecked near
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
. On the rescue ship he met the young Scot Alexander Baillie, who became his friend and lifelong associate. They travelled around together in Europe, meeting
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
,
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
and the sculptor
Bertel Thorvaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish-Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor and medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–183 ...
. On his return from Europe, Knudtzon established himself as a benefactor in Trondheim. With his profound interest in art, he gave donations to Norwegian artists and maintained a personal art collection with artworks from both antiquity and his own time. In the years 1815–1816, Bertel Thorvaldsen made busts of Jørgen Knudtzon, Jørgen's father and Baillie, which Jørgen's brother Broder Knudtzon subsequently bequeathed to the
Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (, DKNVS) is a Norway, Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The society's Protector is King Harald V of ...
. In the later years of his life, Knudtzon championed the creation of the
Thorvaldsen Museum The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish and Icelandic Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life (1796–1838). The ...
which opened during 1848 in Copenhagen.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knudtzon, Jorgen Von Cappelen 1784 births 1854 deaths Norwegian businesspeople Norwegian art collectors Businesspeople from Trondheim