Niels Klim krones til kejser i Qvarma 1787 - 1789

Nicolai Abildgaard created this drawing, Niels Klim krones til kejser i Qvarma, using pen and wash. It illustrates a scene from Ludvig Holberg’s satirical novel, Niels Klim’s Underground Travels. The image presents us with the coronation of Klim as emperor in the subterranean land of Qvarma. The exaggerated theatricality is typical of Abildgaard, and the scene might seem to represent a straightforward transfer of power. But the story is a satire that scrutinizes the social and political conditions of 18th-century Denmark through the lens of fantasy. Abildgaard was deeply engaged in the artistic and intellectual debates of his time, which involved the role of the monarchy and the aristocracy. So we might ask, does this image celebrate power, or critique it? To answer this question, scholars have looked to sources like the writings of Holberg and Abildgaard and the records of the art academy. As such, artworks require the knowledge of historians to shed light on the context in which they were made.