Udkast til tre figurer til Frigørelsesrelieffet på Frihedsstøtten 1790 - 1793

Nicolai Abildgaard created this pen and brown ink drawing as a draft for a relief on the Freedom Monument in Copenhagen. In it, we see classical figures, rendered in a neoclassical style which evokes the ideals of the Enlightenment. Abildgaard was Denmark’s leading exponent of this style at the time. This drawing visualizes a concept of “freedom restored,” perhaps referencing the 1788 abolition of serfdom in Denmark. The monument was commissioned by a group of wealthy landowners who wanted to commemorate the reform. But this drawing is also interesting for what it tells us about the role of public art in shaping political discourse. To understand Abildgaard’s imagery better, we might investigate the political context of late 18th-century Denmark and study the artist’s other works. By doing so, we can explore the ways in which this drawing reflects and reinforces particular ideas about freedom and social order.