En pottemagerske. Stående ung, halvt draperet pige, der maler på en vase 1881

This is a marble sculpture of a young woman painting a vase, created by Vilhelm Bissen in Denmark in the late 19th century. Bissen was a product of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, an institution deeply invested in Neoclassical ideals. Here, we see those ideals at play. The figure is idealized, draped in classical garb, and engaged in a craft associated with ancient Greece. But this work also speaks to the social conditions of its time. The rise of museums and art education created a new public for art, one that was increasingly female. Sculptures like this offered an image of women as active participants in artistic culture. Through careful archival research, we can explore the complex relationship between artistic production and the evolving role of women in late 19th-century Danish society. Remember, art always exists within a specific social and institutional context.