Cladius Detlev Fritzsch
Encyclopedia
Cladius Detlev Fritzsch (10 June 1765 – 17 November 1841 ), noramlly referred to as C. D. Fritzsch, was a Danish
flower painter.
. He traveled to Copenhagen
and attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1786, winning its small silver medal in 1790. He first worked in watercolour and gouasche before turning to oil painting. Among his friends at the Academy were Bertel Thorvaldsen
, the painter and engraver Heinrich Grosch and Carl Probsthayn. According to Thorvaldsen's records, it was Fritzsch and Grosch who first endorcved him to compete for the Academy's large gold medal. Several times he applied for trvael scholarships. Some sources state that he may finally have gone on a journey in 1803 but most likely he never made it abroad.
During his student years, Fritzsch made many drawings of street life in Copenhagen, many of which with a satirical edge. He also depicted the fire of Christiansborg Palace
in 1794 and the Copenhagen Fire of 1795
. Some of his gouasches from the fires were made into engraving by Gerhard Ludvig Lahde with whom he collaborated on a regular basis. However, he chose to spealize in flower painting, a disciplin which he dedicated the rest of his career to, and was in 1804 referred to as "the best and only painter within his field". He was accepted as a member of the Academy in 1806 and was afforded residency at Charlottenborg
in 1827.
and several of his works now in the Danish National Gallery
must, due to their size, priginally have served as room decoration. . Secen demi-circular door pieces with flower motifs in Holstein's Mansion in Copenhagen are also attributed to him. They were executed in connection with Jørgen Hansen Koch
's redesign of the building for the King in the late 1820s. It was supposed to serve as a residence for Princess Caroline
, who was a pupil and admirer of Fritzsch, and Prince Ferdinand after their marriage.
As the teacher of Johannes Ludvig Camradt, Fritzsch influenced later and more famous Danish flower painters.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
flower painter.
Biography
Fritzsch was born on 10 June 1765 in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. He traveled to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1786, winning its small silver medal in 1790. He first worked in watercolour and gouasche before turning to oil painting. Among his friends at the Academy were Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
, the painter and engraver Heinrich Grosch and Carl Probsthayn. According to Thorvaldsen's records, it was Fritzsch and Grosch who first endorcved him to compete for the Academy's large gold medal. Several times he applied for trvael scholarships. Some sources state that he may finally have gone on a journey in 1803 but most likely he never made it abroad.
During his student years, Fritzsch made many drawings of street life in Copenhagen, many of which with a satirical edge. He also depicted the fire of Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
in 1794 and the Copenhagen Fire of 1795
Copenhagen Fire of 1795
The Copenhagen Fire of 1795 started Friday the June 5, around 3 p.m. at the Navy’s old base at Gammelholm in the fleets warehouse for coal and barrels...
. Some of his gouasches from the fires were made into engraving by Gerhard Ludvig Lahde with whom he collaborated on a regular basis. However, he chose to spealize in flower painting, a disciplin which he dedicated the rest of his career to, and was in 1804 referred to as "the best and only painter within his field". He was accepted as a member of the Academy in 1806 and was afforded residency at Charlottenborg
Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since its foundation in 1754...
in 1827.
Works
His paintings were popular both with Frederik VI and Chruistian VIIIChristian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
and several of his works now in the Danish National Gallery
Statens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst is the Danish national gallery located in Copenhagen....
must, due to their size, priginally have served as room decoration. . Secen demi-circular door pieces with flower motifs in Holstein's Mansion in Copenhagen are also attributed to him. They were executed in connection with Jørgen Hansen Koch
Jørgen Hansen Koch
Jørgen Hansen Koch was a Neoclassical Danish architect. He was the leader of the national Danish building administration from 1835 and director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1844 to 1849.-Biography:...
's redesign of the building for the King in the late 1820s. It was supposed to serve as a residence for Princess Caroline
Princess Caroline of Denmark
Princess Caroline Mathilde of Denmark , was a member of the Danish Royal Family, the eldest surviving daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark...
, who was a pupil and admirer of Fritzsch, and Prince Ferdinand after their marriage.
As the teacher of Johannes Ludvig Camradt, Fritzsch influenced later and more famous Danish flower painters.