Lægen professor C.J. Berger 1779

This is a marble bust of Professor C.J. Berger, carved by Hartman Beeken, a Danish artist, sometime before his death in 1781. Busts like this were very popular in 18th-century Europe. They recall the sculpture of the Roman Empire, associating the subject with the power and status of the classical world. This work is an early example of the Neoclassical style in Denmark. Beeken was one of the first Danish artists to work in this style, having studied in Paris. Denmark in the late 1700s was a highly stratified society, and portraits were usually commissioned by and for the elite. As a professor, Berger would have belonged to the upper echelons of society, and this bust served as a symbol of his status. We can understand this artwork better by researching the biographies of both the sitter and the sculptor. What was the nature of Beeken's patronage? What role did Berger play in Danish society? These are questions for the social historian.