Background
Christoffer Eckersberg was born on January 2, 1783 in Blakrog, the Duchy of Schleswig (now Aabenraa Municipality, Denmark). He was the son of Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, a painter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter.
Christoffer Eckersberg was born on January 2, 1783 in Blakrog, the Duchy of Schleswig (now Aabenraa Municipality, Denmark). He was the son of Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, a painter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter.
Initially, Eckersberg studied painting under the guidance of Jes Jessen during the period from 1797 to 1800. Some time later, he continued training under Josiah Jacob Jessen in Flensborg.
In 1803 Christoffer enrolled in Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1809 with gold medal.
Since 1811 to 1812 he studied at the workshop of Jacques-Louis David.
Since 1813 to 1816, Christoffer lived and painted in Rome. Some time later he returned to Denmark, and in 1818 he was appointed a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1819 the Admiralty granted him free access to the Copenhagen Naval Station (Holmen), thus giving him occasion to view the many ships, favorite motive in his paintings, and select the models whom he needed for his paintings with motives from Greek or Roman antiquity.
In 1827, Christoffer was appointed a director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, a position he held until 1829.
During his lifetime, Eckersberg was commissioned to do a number of historical paintings for Christiansborg Palace, as well as altarpieces.
Nude Woman Putting On Her Slippers
Female Model, Florentine
Perseus Delivering Andromeda
Portrait of Anna Maria Magnani
Woman Standing in Front of a Mirror
Model in the Studio
Portrait of Faktor Fjellerups Kone
Lying Model in Bed
Seated Nude Model
Three Spartan Boys
The marble staircase which leads up to S. Maria in Aracoeli in Rome
Ulysses Fleeing The Cave Of Polyphemus
Socrates and Alcibiades
Sitting Young Man
Nude Study
Bella and Hanna. The Eldest Daughters of M. L. Nathanson
A View through Three of the North-Western Arches of the Third Storey of the Coliseum
At a Window in the Artist's Studio
The Nathanson family
The Russian Ship of the Line "Asow" and a Frigate at Anchor in the Roads of Elsinore
Self portrait at the age of twenty-eight
E. Christine Rebecca Hyssing was Christoffer's first wife. On February 8, 1817 he married Elisabeth Cathrine Julie Juel, the daughter of Jens Juel. In 1827 Elisabeth died and Eckersberg married her sister Susanne Henriette Emilie Juel, with whom he also had several children.
