Admiral C.C. Zahrtmann 1853

Editor: So, here we have "Admiral C.C. Zahrtmann," a marble sculpture created in 1853 by H.W. Bissen. It’s currently held at the SMK in Copenhagen. There's something incredibly stoic and almost severe about his gaze. What jumps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, a fascinating example of neoclassical portraiture! For me, it’s about the cool restraint. There's an interesting dialogue happening between honoring an individual—a naval Admiral, no less—and conforming to the classical ideals of beauty and virtue. I wonder if the Admiral was this… reserved in life? Or did Bissen consciously 'classicize' him? It's a kind of… whitewashing of personality, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Whitewashing, literally! It's marble, after all. I hadn't thought about it that way. Did this idealization serve a purpose? Curator: Absolutely. Think about it: In the mid-19th century, there’s a strong desire to connect with the perceived stability and moral clarity of antiquity. By presenting Admiral Zahrtmann in this way, Bissen elevates him, connects him to a lineage of admired figures. Makes him almost a philosophical statement, doesn't it? Like he embodies a certain civic duty. But I also wonder about the unseen stories, the moments of doubt or passion scrubbed away by the pursuit of perfection. It is perfect, but in an inpersonal, objective, cold and lifeless way. I would rather have less objective perfection but a more true portrait. How about you? Does this strike you too? Editor: Yeah, I see what you mean. It makes me wonder what the *real* Admiral Zahrtmann was like! It is indeed, to the bone, and to the chisel, an exercise on abstraction! I am looking to see what stories I can dig in its gaze... Curator: Perhaps that’s the charm – that this object compels to tell those untold stories through our very own, contemporary, vision. Editor: Exactly. And in the end that is what every objet d'art should do, isn't it?