Udkast til dekoration af den indre langvæg i Gallasalen 1743 - 1809

This is Nicolai Abildgaard’s ‘Draft for the Decoration of the Inner Long Wall in the Great Hall’, made with pencil and watercolour. The drawing represents a proposal for a Danish Royal reception hall, reflecting the neoclassical style that swept through Europe in the late 18th century. Note the classical columns, friezes, and statues. These elements weren't just aesthetic choices. They were a conscious invocation of ancient Greece and Rome. The elite classes across Europe used this aesthetic to associate themselves with the perceived virtues of those past societies – order, reason, and republicanism, albeit ones built on slavery. Abildgaard's design speaks to the institutional history of art academies. He was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The Academy promoted a particular style and set of values, often linked to the ruling class. We can ask, how did Abildgaard's work reinforce or challenge these values? Was he simply serving the monarchy, or was he subtly critiquing it? To understand Abildgaard's intentions better, we can turn to archival documents. Letters, financial records, and other resources help us to understand this work in its full social and institutional context.