Background
Lunde was the son of teahouse manager Svend Svendsen Lunde (1776–1846) and Johanna Johanne Michaeline (born Møller. 1769–1849).
Lunde was the son of teahouse manager Svend Svendsen Lunde (1776–1846) and Johanna Johanne Michaeline (born Møller. 1769–1849).
After an apprenticeship as a house painter, he studied at the Academy, winning both its silver medals (1833-1835).
He painted his native Denmark including the north of Zealand and the island of Bornholm while also showing an interest in Mediterranean landscapes. He began to exhibit in 1834 as a portrait painter but soon switched to landscapes, following in the footsteps of Louis Gurlitt in depicting the Italian countryside. While he gained some attention, he never became well-known.
In 1842, Lunde traveled to Italy, though he had not received a scholarship.
However the work he sent home raised so much interest that he was later awarded a two-year stipendium and only returned to Denmark in 1847. The Statens Museum for Kunst has only bought one of his juvenile works but a larger image, Frederiksborg Castle, painted for Frederik VII in 1850, was the gift of a Russian grand duke.
In 1851, Lunde captured Frederik VII"s arrival at Helligdomsklipperne.
In 1857, he was destined to become a member of the Academy but when his membership application was almost complete, the Academy"s charter changed and as a result he never became a member.