Background
Just Mathias Thiele was born on 13 December 1795 in Copenhagen.
historian art historian writer autobiographer
Just Mathias Thiele was born on 13 December 1795 in Copenhagen.
A central personage during the Danish Golden Age in the first half of the 19th century, he contributed to Danish cultural life in a number of capacities. He collected and published Danish folk tales with inspiration from the Brothers Grimm and founded the Royal Print Collection, today part of the Danish National Gallery. After the death of Bertel Thorvaldsen, he saved his archives and other papers and based on them he wrote his first biography.
He was the father of Thorvald Nicolai Thiele.
After receiving his schooling at the Metropolitan School and studying privately with Attorney - General Rudelbach, he had his debut in 1816 in Danfana, a magazine, before publishing his first book, a novel named Bjergmandsdalen, the following year. From 1817 to 1835 he was employed at the Royal Danish Library.
During this phase, with inspiration from the Brothers Grimm, he collected Danish folk tales, relying on both written sources and oral ones which he collected on travels around the country. He published them in four volumes as Danske Folkesagn I–IV between 1818 and 1823 (extended edition 1843).
Thiele"s publication of Danish folk tales was rewarded with a scholarship.
After Thorvaldsen"s death, he was effective in saving his archives and other papers from destruction. Thiele was secretary at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1825 to 1871. While working at the Royal Library, he was the main force behind saving its neglected collection of 70,000 prints which became the basis for establishing the Royal Print Collection, today part of the holdings of the Danish National Gallery.
He served as inspector at the collection from 1835 and its director from 1861.
Thiele was married to Sophie Holten, and after her death to Hanne Aagesen in 1838. Thorvald North. Thiele (1838–1910) who became a prominent astronomer, actuary and mathematician, internationally recognized as one of the Founders of statistics.
Ida Wilde née Thiele (1830–1862) who is commemorated in Hans Christian Andersen"s tale Little Ida"s Flowers. Just Mathias Thiele was throughout his life an active part of the cultural environment in Still a student, he became part of the circle of artists and intellectuals around Knud Lyne and Kamma Rahbek at Bakkehuset, a time he commemorated in Erindringer fra Bakkehuset ("Memoirs from Bakkehuset") published in He was also part of the salon life at Sophienholm which revolved around Friederike Brun.
Thiele was also a member of the committee for the foundation of Thorvaldsens Museum.