The Sculptor Jens Adolph Jerichau in his Studio in Rome 1871

David Jacobsen painted ‘The Sculptor Jens Adolph Jerichau in his Studio in Rome,’ showing us the artistic life that drew many Northern European artists to Italy. The image is a window into the world of 19th-century art production, where the studio was a hallowed space, filled with classical casts and the tools of the trade. Rome, at this time, was the epicentre of neoclassical sculpture, with the vestiges of the Roman Empire serving as a direct inspiration. It also became the natural place to study the canon of Renaissance Art. Jacobsen shows us Jerichau at work. The statues around the studio—the physical products of labor—are the tangible evidence of Jerichau’s talent. The statues also are the products of the social system, the academy, and the institutions of patronage. Art historians might consult letters, diaries, and exhibition reviews to better understand Jacobsen’s painting. These sources give us greater insight into the economic and social forces that shaped the art world of the 19th century.