Who painted Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved?

Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved was painted by Hans Hansen in 1823.

Where can I see Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved?

Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved?

Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved is associated with Biedermeier.

Artwork

Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved

Hans Hansen , 1823

Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Hans Hansen. It dates from 1823 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The emphasis on his title and estate in the work's name underscores the importance of land ownership and social rank in the iconography of the period.

The painting portrays Adam Wilhelm Moltke, a Danish lensgreve (count of the manor) associated with Bregentved. As a portrait from 1823, the work belongs to the genre of aristocratic portraiture, representing Moltke as a prominent figure of the Danish nobility. The emphasis on his title and estate in the work's name underscores the importance of land ownership and social rank in the iconography of the period.

Such portraits typically served to affirm and display the subject's status, wealth, and position within the hierarchical structure of Danish society.

The painting's function as a state collection piece at Statens Museum for Kunst further indicates its significance as a document of national heritage and the representation of Denmark's elite class during the early nineteenth century.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 140 cm in height and 120 cm in width, created in 1823 and housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. It portrays Adam Wilhelm Moltke, rendered in a formal, portrait style characteristic of early 19th-century Danish art. The composition emphasizes precise facial detail and subdued lighting, reflecting the sitter’s aristocratic presence.

History & Provenance

The portrait of Lensgreve Adam Wilhelm Moltke til Bregentved was produced by the Danish artist Hans Hansen in 1823, executed in oil paint on canvas. The work was created as a formal portrait of its namesake sitter, Adam Wilhelm Moltke, and entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains held. The painting measures 140.0 cm in height by 120.0 cm in width.

No further details regarding the original commission, intermediate ownership, or transfer history are documented in the available sources.

Overview

Hans Hansen’s 1823 oil portrait presents Count Adam Wilhelm Moltke of Bregentved in a restrained, three‑quarter view. Rendered on canvas, the work resides in Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst, where it exemplifies early‑19th‑century portraiture that privileges the sitter’s presence over decorative surroundings.

Context

Created during a time when Denmark was consolidating its constitutional framework, the portrait situates Moltke within the emerging modern bureaucracy. Hansen’s approach mirrors contemporary European trends that favored sober realism over the flamboyance of earlier baroque portraiture, emphasizing the sitter’s civic role.