Caspar Frederik (Friedrich) Harsdorff, also known as C.F. Harsdorff, (26 May 1735 – 24 May 1799) was a Danish neoclassical architect considered to have been the leading Danish architect in the late 18th century.

Early life and training

He was born Caspar Frederik Harsdørffer in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

, Denmark to German-born schoolteacher Johan Christopher Harsdørffer from Nürnberg and his Swedish-born wife Anne Marie Eriksdatter. He began his education in mathematics in order to train for the Engineer Corps, but his interest lay in architecture, which he studied enthusiastically. When the

Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

(''Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi'') opened in 1754 at

Charlottenborg Palace Charlottenborg Palace ( da, Charlottenborg Slot) is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the ...

he was able to study under French architect

Nicolas-Henri Jardin Nicolas-Henri Jardin (22 March 1720 – 31 August 1799) was a French architect. Born in St. Germain des Noyers, Seine-et-Marne, Jardin worked seventeen years in Denmark–Norway as an architect to the Danish royal court. He introduced neoclassic ...

. In 1756 his design for a city gate won the Academy’s large gold medallion, giving him the distinction of being the first Danish architect to win the coveted award. The award included a six-year travel grant.

Education and travel years

In 1757, he traveled to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

where he stayed there four years, also in the company of sculptor

Carl Frederik Stanley Carl Frederik Stanley (c. 1738 – 9 March 1813) was an English-Danish sculptor, a leading proponent of early Neo-Classicism in Denmark. Early life and education Carl Frederik Stanley was born the son of Simon Carl Stanley, a sculptor of Eng ...

who resided in Paris at the same time. While there he studied under

Jacques-François Blondel Jacques-François Blondel (8 January 1705 – 9 January 1774) was an 18th-century French architect and teacher. After running his own highly successful school of architecture for many years, he was appointed Professor of Architecture at the Acad ...

(1705–1774) an architect employed by King

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

. In late spring 1762 he traveled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he discovered the remains of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...

and drew and measured the antiquities he studied.

Career in Denmark

He returned to Denmark in 1764, and was named Building Inspector. That same year he was invited to join the Academy, and received the assignment to design "''Et kongeligt Palais, liggende paa en smuk Plads''" ("A royal palace located on a beautiful plaza"). His design was judged successful, and he was accepted as member of the Academy in 1765, where he was given a job as Professor in Perspective in 1766. Between 1766-1769 he built the memorial chapel for former

Lord High Steward The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...

Count Adam Gottlob Moltke at

Karise {{Infobox settlement , name = Karise , native_name = , other_name = , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = Karise Church.jpg , image_caption = Karise Church , imag ...

Church in

Faxe Faxe or Fakse is a town on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. It is located in Faxe Municipality in Region Zealand. The town is most known for the Faxe Brewery, Royal Unibrew, a relatively large brewery producing a range of beer and soft ...

, which had been begun by his former teacher and now fellow Professor at the Academy architect

. In 1770 he was named Royal Building Master to the court of King

Christian VII Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. For his motto ...

. In 1771 Professor Jardin requested that Harsdorff be named his successor as Professor of Architecture at the Academy, which position he filled that year after Jardin vacated the position on 26 March in conjunction with his leaving Denmark to return to France. As professor he played an important role in the classical education of the next generation of architects. His students included

Peter Meyn Peter Meyn (8 April 1749 - 11 April 1808) was a Danish architect. Early life and education Meyn was born in Copenhagen, the son of master joiner Anton (Anthoni) Christian Meyn (1712–82) and Helena Klefts (c. 1714–80). He studied at the Royal ...

Joseph Christian Lillie Joseph Christian Lillie (20 March 1760 – 29 January 1827), also known as J.C. Lillie, was a Danish neoclassical architect and interior designer. His early career was in Denmark, where he is mainly known for his interior designs and furniture p ...

and

Christian Frederik Hansen Christian Frederik Hansen (29 February 1756 – 10 July 1845), known as C. F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art (''D ...

. Harsdorff also became a member of the Main Building Directorate (''Overbygnings direktionen'') in 1771. In 1773 he designed the pulpit at Our Saviour’s Church (''

Vor Frelsers Kirke The Church of Our Saviour ( da, Vor Frelsers Kirke; ) is a baroque church in Copenhagen, Denmark, most famous for the external spiral winding staircase that can be climbed to the top, offering extensive views over central Copenhagen. It is also no ...

'') in the

Christianshavn Christianshavn (literally, " ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of th ...

district of Copenhagen. The neoclassical wood pulpit is painted to look like golden marble, and features a

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

attributed to

Johannes Wiedewelt Johannes Wiedewelt (1 July 1731 – 17 December 1802), Danish neoclassical sculptor. He became a court sculptor, introducing neoclassical ideals to Denmark in the form of palace decorations, garden sculptures and artifacts and, especially, m ...

and Peder Als. That same year he rebuilt in the King’s Garden (''

Kongens Have Rosenborg Castle Gardens (Danish: Kongens Have literally The King's Garden) is the oldest and most visited park in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in the early 17th century as the private gardens of King Christian IV's Rosenborg Castle, th ...

''), the gardens at

Rosenborg Castle Rosenborg Castle ( da, Rosenborg Slot) is a renaissance castle located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the D ...

in Copenhagen, the temple-like Hercules Pavilion for which Johannes Wiedewelt’s studio produced the reliefs of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

and

Omphale In Greek mythology, Omphale (; Ancient Greek: Ὀμφάλη) was queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. Diodorus Siculus provides the first appearance of the Omphale theme in literature, though Aeschylus was aware of the episode. The Gree ...

. The pavilion now houses a café. He also was commissioned to enlarge the

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754) was a Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. He design ...

-designed The Royal Theatre (1748) on

Kongens Nytorv Kongens Nytorv ( lit. "The King's New Square") is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection wit ...

that year. In the course of his work on this project he received permission to develop the site between the theatre and Charlottenborg Palace, home of the Art Academy, which he then developed 1779-1780 as a home for his family. Rebuilding of the theatre was carried on 1773-1774. In 1774-1779 he designed and started building the austere memorial chapels for

Christian VI Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

and Frederik V at

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is the most importan ...

. Work on this project, however, was stopped in 1779 because of lack of money. The work began again many years after his death, and was completed by his student

(1820-1825). Harsdorff acted as the Academy’s Director 1777-1779, and was named to the title of ''Justitsraad'' in 1778. In 1779-1780 he designed and built

Harsdorff House The Harsdorff House (''Harsdorffs Hus'') is a historic property located on Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff in 1780 and was in the same time to serve as inspiration for the many uneducated ...

3-5, which became the new model for Copenhagen townhouses of the time. The building is shown on a Danish postage stamp, part of series entitled Danish Houses which features significant Danish buildings. The building is now owned by real estate company

Karberghus Karberghus is a Denmark, Danish real estate company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It specializes in the acquisition, restoration and renting out of historic properties in the Copenhagen area and is a member of BYFO, Historiske Huse and Europa Nostr ...

. The tenants include the Harsdorffs Hus Office Club. Between 1781-1785 he designed the interior design in two large rooms at The Royal Library. In 1781 he was named Head Royal Building Master. Between 1794-1795 he designed and built the colonnade at

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors arou ...

to connect the recently occupied King’s palace, Moltke Palace, with the Crown Prince’s residence, Schack’s Palace. In 1795 he was asked to create plans for

Frederik's Church Frederik's Church ( da, Frederiks Kirke), popularly known as The Marble Church () for its rococo architecture, is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Copenhagen, Denmark. The church forms the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district; it is loc ...

(''Frederikskirke''), now known as The Marble Church (''Marmorkirken''), work on which had been halted 1770 after French neoclassical architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin had led the effort. Harsdorff created two plans, and made a model of one of them. The project was approved, but Harsdorff health was now weak. The work eventually was developed according to plans by

Ferdinand Meldahl Ferdinand Meldahl (16 March 1827 – 3 February 1908) was a Danish architect best known for the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle after the fire in 1859. Meldahl was one of the leading proponents of historicism in Denmark. Biography He was ...

(1827–1908).

Personal life

In May 1770 Harsdorff married the widow Elisabeth (Elsebeth) Margrethe Braun, daughter of Building Master to the royal court Jacob Fortling. The couple had three children of whom two daughters survived In May 1799 he became sick at his country home Rosenlund on Gammel Kongevej,

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

, and he died there on 24 May 1799. He was buried in

Assistens Cemetery Assistens Cemetery ( da, Assistens Kirkegård) is the name of a number of cemeteries in Denmark. The common nominator is, as the first part of the name implies (Latin: ''assistens'' meaning assisting), an assisting cemetery for a town's churches. ...

(''Assistens Kirkegård''), Copenhagen. He was survived by his wife.

Aftermath

Art historian and critic

Niels Lauritz Høyen Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nicolaos after Sain ...

’s Nordic Art Society (''Selskabet for nordisk Kunst'') published the book "''C. F. Harsdorffs Værker''" (1871). In 1985, a memorial plaque in his memory was erected at Assistens Kirkegård. An exhibition devoted to his work was held in Copenahgen’s Kunstindustrimuseet September 1985.

References

External links

KID Kunst Index Danmark ("Art Index Denmark")

Danish Biographical Encyclopedia ("''Dansk biografisk Leksikion''")
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harsdorff, Caspar Frederik 1735 births 1799 deaths Danish architects Danish neoclassical architects Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Directors of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts