Udkast til "H.C. Andersen og Baronessen i Thorvaldsens Atelier paa Nysø" 1937 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made this sketch, "Draft for H.C. Andersen and the Baroness in Thorvaldsen's Studio at Nysø", with graphite on paper. This work gives us a glimpse into the Danish cultural scene of the 19th century. The sketch depicts a meeting between the famous writer Hans Christian Andersen and a baroness, likely in the studio of the renowned sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The location itself, Thorvaldsen's studio, highlights the importance of artistic patronage and the role of the aristocracy in shaping the cultural landscape of the time. It raises questions about the relationship between artists, their benefactors, and the social circles in which they moved. Was art a tool for social climbing? Did it challenge the established order? To fully understand this sketch, we need to dig deeper into the social history of 19th-century Denmark. Archival research into the diaries and letters of these figures, as well as studies of the art world at the time, will reveal the nuances of this cultural encounter.