Louis August le Clerc
Encyclopedia
Louis August le Clerc also known as Louis-Augustin le Clerc, was a French-born sculptor working in Denmark
. He was born in Metz
, France
to copperplate engraver Sebastian le Clerc and his wife Charlotte van den Kerckhove. He was summoned to Denmark at the age of 47, and lived out the rest of his life there as a royal sculptor to the Danish Court and as professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Art
. He helped introduce French Rococo
artistic ideals to Denmark.
under sculptor Charles-Antoine Coysevox
. There he won two prizes for his work.
in Bavaria and Brühl
near Cologne
in 1734-1735.
In Ansbach he worked for the Margrave Carl Wilhelm Friderich.
In Brühl he worked for Cologne’s Archbishop and German Empire Prince Elector Clemens August von Wittelsbach. Here he assisted Bavarian Court master builder, architect François de Cuvilliés
1734-1735 on the Elector’s hunting lodge Falkenlust (also known as Schloss Falkenlust), on the grounds of Augustusburg (also known as Schloss Augustusburg). These buildings are now considered the most important buildings of the late Baroque
and Rococo in all of the Rhineland
. They were declared a World Heritage Site
in 1984 by UNESCO.
Figure groups in wall niches in the upper vestibule sculpted by le Clerc are still extant.
to help with the interior decoration of Christiansborg Palace
. He arrived that same year along with his wife, Caroline Wilhelmine Isabella, and was named royal sculptor to the Danish Court in December of that same year.
He was, along with Elias David Häusser
and Nicolai Eigtved
, one of the primary figures involved in the creation of Christiansborg. He was named head of the sculpture and stone work at the palace in 1737. Most of the work he did at Christiansborg, however, was eventually lost, having been destroyed in the fire of 1794.
Existing still to this day are wood carved vases in Christiansborg’s horse stalls, and relief medallions on the side of the Marble Bridge (Marmorbro) that leads to the castle’s main entrance. Four perspective drawings he made of Christiansborg 1746-1747 are in the collection of the Engraving Museum in Copenhagen.
Destroyed work from the castle includes the cornices, capitals and frames of the windows; carved wall panels, fireplaces and console tables in both the king’s and the queen’s suites; the golden dining room with buffet and chandelier; sculptures on the balustrade, and all sculpture work in the castle church.
In 1739 he created a fountain in the King’s Garden (Kongens Have) at Rosenborg Castle
representing a boy with a swan. The sandstone original was replaced by a bronze figure featuring a similar motif; the replacement was designed and produced by Hermann Ernst Freund in 1837.
’s death in 1738 le Clerc, along with the Venetian history painter Hieronimo Miani
, took over the leadership of the burgeoning Royal Danish Academy of Art, then known as the Drawing and Painting Academy (Tegne- og Malerakademiet). He served as leader of the Academy 1740-1748.
His first wife died on January 22, 1741. He married his second wife Jacobine Louise Lefèvre a year later, on January 30, 1742.
took full control over the Academy. In 1746 Frederik V
, the successor king to Christian VI, came to the throne. As the king was an absolute king, and the Academy’s protector, changes in government could, and often did, mean major changes to organizations dependent on royalty’s good graces. While le Clerc had been greatly favoured by King Christian VI, who appreciated his artistic abilities, Frederik V favoured other artists.
Frederik V affirmed his support for the Academy by issuing a royal resolution on February 12, 1748. In addition to a financial commitment there were specified organizational changes. At the same time le Clerc was named professor to the Academy, one of the first artists to be so named.
Frederik V established the current Academy of Art (now called Det kongelige skildre-, billedhugger- og bygningsakademi, in English "The Royal Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Academy") in 1754. He was made a member of the Academy that same year, and also named professor. Le Clerc did not play a significant role in the new Academy, other than as a teacher. After Frederik V had summoned another French-born sculptor Jacques Saly
to Denmark in 1752 to create a monumental equestrian statue of himself for the courtyard of Amalienborg Palace, le Clerc’s importance went down and his production became small.
He continued as professor at the Academy until his death. His artistic skills were not employed much in his later years. He died in Copenhagen, in his house on Brolæggerstræde, on March, 8, 1771. He was buried in the Reformed Cemetery ("Reformeret Kirkegård"), Copenhagen.
complex.
But even before the great fire destroyed so much of his work, the tides had shifted against him. Rococo, as an artistic ideal, had been discredited, and Frederik V, the successor king to le Clerc’s great patron, chose to favour other artists.
In addition, some drawing of his work are still in existence.
His portrait of Carl Gustaf Pilo
is in the keepsake of the Academy.
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...
. He was born in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to copperplate engraver Sebastian le Clerc and his wife Charlotte van den Kerckhove. He was summoned to Denmark at the age of 47, and lived out the rest of his life there as a royal sculptor to the Danish Court and as professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Art
Royal Danish Academy of Art
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts has provided a practice-oriented complement to the scholarly investigation of the arts carried out at Danish universities for more than 250 years, playing a crucial part in the development of the distinctive tradition of the art of Denmark.- History :The Royal...
. He helped introduce French Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
artistic ideals to Denmark.
Training and student travels
He studied at the French Academy of Art, the Académie royale de peinture et de sculptureAcadémie de peinture et de sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...
under sculptor Charles-Antoine Coysevox
Antoine Coysevox
Charles Antoine Coysevox , French sculptor, was born at Lyon, and belonged to a family which had emigrated from Spain...
. There he won two prizes for his work.
Early career
He traveled to AnsbachAnsbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
in Bavaria and Brühl
Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia
Brühl is a town in the Rhineland of Germany. It is located in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 20 km south of Cologne city center and at the edge of Naturpark Kottenforst-Ville Nature Reserve.-History:...
near Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in 1734-1735.
In Ansbach he worked for the Margrave Carl Wilhelm Friderich.
In Brühl he worked for Cologne’s Archbishop and German Empire Prince Elector Clemens August von Wittelsbach. Here he assisted Bavarian Court master builder, architect François de Cuvilliés
François de Cuvilliés
François de Cuvilliés was a Belgian-born Bavarian decorative designer and architect who was instrumental in bringing the Rococo style to the Wittelsbach court at Munich and to Central Europe in general.Cuvilliés was so diminutive in stature that it was as a court dwarf he first came to the notice...
1734-1735 on the Elector’s hunting lodge Falkenlust (also known as Schloss Falkenlust), on the grounds of Augustusburg (also known as Schloss Augustusburg). These buildings are now considered the most important buildings of the late Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
and Rococo in all of the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
. They were declared a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1984 by UNESCO.
Figure groups in wall niches in the upper vestibule sculpted by le Clerc are still extant.
Summons to Denmark
He was summoned to Denmark in the summer of 1735 by King Christian VIChristian VI of Denmark
Christian VI was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.He was the son of King Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He married Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and fathered Frederick V.-The reign and personality of Christian VI:To posterity Christian...
to help with the interior decoration 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...
. He arrived that same year along with his wife, Caroline Wilhelmine Isabella, and was named royal sculptor to the Danish Court in December of that same year.
He was, along with Elias David Häusser
Elias David Häusser
Elias David Häusser was a German-Danish architect working in the Baroque and Rococo styles. He is most known for designing the first Christiansborg Palace which was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1794...
and Nicolai Eigtved
Nicolai Eigtved
Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved, , Danish architect, introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo style in Danish architecture during the 1730s-1740s. He designed and built some of the most prominent buildings of his time, a number of which still stand to this day...
, one of the primary figures involved in the creation of Christiansborg. He was named head of the sculpture and stone work at the palace in 1737. Most of the work he did at Christiansborg, however, was eventually lost, having been destroyed in the fire of 1794.
Existing still to this day are wood carved vases in Christiansborg’s horse stalls, and relief medallions on the side of the Marble Bridge (Marmorbro) that leads to the castle’s main entrance. Four perspective drawings he made of Christiansborg 1746-1747 are in the collection of the Engraving Museum in Copenhagen.
Destroyed work from the castle includes the cornices, capitals and frames of the windows; carved wall panels, fireplaces and console tables in both the king’s and the queen’s suites; the golden dining room with buffet and chandelier; sculptures on the balustrade, and all sculpture work in the castle church.
In 1739 he created a fountain in the King’s Garden (Kongens Have) at Rosenborg Castle
Rosenborg Castle
Rosenborg Castle is a renaissance castle located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects...
representing a boy with a swan. The sandstone original was replaced by a bronze figure featuring a similar motif; the replacement was designed and produced by Hermann Ernst Freund in 1837.
Leadership in the early days of the Academy
After Hendrick KrockHendrick Krock
Hendrick Krock was a Danish history painter who, from 1706, was the court painter of Frederick IV as well as his successor Christian VI. Along with Benoit Le Coffre set the tone for history painting in Denmark during the 18th century-1720s, having been influenced by the Italian baroque painting he...
’s death in 1738 le Clerc, along with the Venetian history painter Hieronimo Miani
Hieronimo Miani
Hieronimo Miani, also known as Hieronymus Miani, was an Italian history painter, who worked in Denmark as both a painter to the royal court of King Christian VI, and as a teacher....
, took over the leadership of the burgeoning Royal Danish Academy of Art, then known as the Drawing and Painting Academy (Tegne- og Malerakademiet). He served as leader of the Academy 1740-1748.
His first wife died on January 22, 1741. He married his second wife Jacobine Louise Lefèvre a year later, on January 30, 1742.
Winds of change at the Academy
He continued alone in the role of Academy director after Miani left Denmark in 1745, and until architect Nicolai EigtvedNicolai Eigtved
Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved, , Danish architect, introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo style in Danish architecture during the 1730s-1740s. He designed and built some of the most prominent buildings of his time, a number of which still stand to this day...
took full control over the Academy. In 1746 Frederik V
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
, the successor king to Christian VI, came to the throne. As the king was an absolute king, and the Academy’s protector, changes in government could, and often did, mean major changes to organizations dependent on royalty’s good graces. While le Clerc had been greatly favoured by King Christian VI, who appreciated his artistic abilities, Frederik V favoured other artists.
Frederik V affirmed his support for the Academy by issuing a royal resolution on February 12, 1748. In addition to a financial commitment there were specified organizational changes. At the same time le Clerc was named professor to the Academy, one of the first artists to be so named.
Frederik V established the current Academy of Art (now called Det kongelige skildre-, billedhugger- og bygningsakademi, in English "The Royal Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Academy") in 1754. He was made a member of the Academy that same year, and also named professor. Le Clerc did not play a significant role in the new Academy, other than as a teacher. After Frederik V had summoned another French-born sculptor Jacques Saly
Jacques Saly
Jacques François Joseph Saly, also known as Jacques Saly , French-born sculptor who worked in France, Denmark, and Italy, was born in Valenciennes to Francois Marie Saly and wife Marie Michelle....
to Denmark in 1752 to create a monumental equestrian statue of himself for the courtyard of Amalienborg Palace, le Clerc’s importance went down and his production became small.
He continued as professor at the Academy until his death. His artistic skills were not employed much in his later years. He died in Copenhagen, in his house on Brolæggerstræde, on March, 8, 1771. He was buried in the Reformed Cemetery ("Reformeret Kirkegård"), Copenhagen.
Aftermath
Most of his work has been lost to the ravages of time, especially due to the disastrous fire at Christiansborg. In addition to the few extant pieces previously noted, there is still work of le Clerc’s in the Knight’s Hall (Riddersalen) in Moltkes Palace, one of the four buildings at the Amalienborg PalaceAmalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard ; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's...
complex.
But even before the great fire destroyed so much of his work, the tides had shifted against him. Rococo, as an artistic ideal, had been discredited, and Frederik V, the successor king to le Clerc’s great patron, chose to favour other artists.
In addition, some drawing of his work are still in existence.
His portrait of Carl Gustaf Pilo
Carl Gustaf Pilo
Carl Gustaf Pilo was a Swedish-born artist and painter, one of many 18th century European artists who had to leave their own country in order to make a living. Pilo worked extensively in Denmark as a painter to the Danish Court and as professor and director at the Royal Danish Academy of Art ,...
is in the keepsake of the Academy.