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Jacob Kornerup (19 November 1825 – 9 March 1913) was a Danish archeologist and painter who is remembered above all for discovering and restoring medieval frescos in Danish churches."Jacob Kornerup"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
One of his foremost interests was in the preservation of Denmark's medieval church frescos in which he pioneered restoration work from 1862 to 1904, becoming one of the Denmark's central figures in the field. He uncovered murals in 80 churches across the land that had been whitewashed over after the
, Roskilde Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2013. While his restoration work did not meet today's exacting standards, it nonetheless benefitted from his artistic background and his growing knowledge of archeology. He also became an adviser in connection with the restoration of
"Kornerup Jacob"
''Kraks Blå Bog'', 1910. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
* ''Kongehøjene i Jellinge'' (1875)
* ''Roskilde Domkirke'' (1877, in ''Danske Mindesmærker'')
* ''Roskilde i gamle Dage'' (1892)
* ''Skildringer fra Spanien'' (1863)
* ''Roskilde Minder'' (1907)
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
Biography
Born into a well-to-doRoskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
family, he matriculated from high school in Roskilde before attending the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () 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 Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...
from 1847 to 1853, winning the Grand Silver Medal. He first painted portraits and landscapes but soon concentrated on architectural painting, influenced by study tours to Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
(1981) with Johan Daniel Herholdt
Johan Daniel Herholdt (13 August 1818 – 11 April 1902) was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th ...
and to Germany, Dalmatia and Italy (1854–55) with Ferdinand Meldahl. Painting was not however enough to satisfy him. As a child, he had shown interest in his home town, Roskilde. His acquaintance with the archeologist Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae
Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae (14 March 1821 – 15 August 1885) was a Danish archaeologist, historian and politician, who was the second director of the National Museum of Denmark (1865–1874). He played a key role in the foundation of scientifi ...
encouraged him to become involved in the restoration of historical buildings in collaboration with the National Museum
A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...
, leading to hundreds of drawings and watercolors which are now in the museum's archives. His drawings of Jellinghøjene (the burial mounds of Jelling
Jelling is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 4,038 (1 January 2025), located in Jelling Parish, approximately 10 km northwest of Vejle. The town lies 105 metres above sea level.
Location
Jelling is located in Vejle municipality ...
) which he drew while working with Worsaae and Christian Herbst can be seen in his ''Kongehøiene i Jellinge'' (1875).
Church frescos and historical monuments
One of his foremost interests was in the preservation of Denmark's medieval church frescos in which he pioneered restoration work from 1862 to 1904, becoming one of the Denmark's central figures in the field. He uncovered murals in 80 churches across the land that had been whitewashed over after the Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
."Kornerups billedverden – Roskilde, rejser & restaureringer", Roskilde Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2013. While his restoration work did not meet today's exacting standards, it nonetheless benefitted from his artistic background and his growing knowledge of archeology. He also became an adviser in connection with the restoration of
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral (), 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 one of the most important churches in D ...
when work started in the 1850s. Settling in Roskilde in 1855, he also took an active interest in the preservation of the city's other historic monuments.
Published works
In addition to contributions to periodicals and other works, Kornerup published the following:''Kraks Blå Bog'', 1910. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
Exhibitions
In 2013, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, Roskilde Museum presented an exhibition of Kornerup's art work.References
Further reading
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kornerup, Jacob 1825 births 1913 deaths Danish archaeologists Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni People from Roskilde 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 20th-century Danish painters 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists