Digteren Johan Ludvig Heiberg 1860

This is a bronze bust of the poet Johan Ludvig Heiberg, made by H.W. Bissen. Bronze is a material with inherent qualities of strength, permanence, and a distinctive metallic sheen. It begins as a molten liquid, poured into a mold, then cooled and finished, often with hand-applied patinas to enrich its surface. Bissen would have likely started with a clay model, then used a lost-wax casting method. This intensive process, with many hands involved, mirrors the social structures of artistic production at the time. In the 19th century, the artist may have conceived the idea, but skilled artisans would bring it to fruition, blurring the lines between the artist's vision and the labour of craft. Considering the materials and the making helps us appreciate not just the artistic skill involved, but the broader context of labor and production that shaped this work.