Exhibited: The Nivaagaard Collection, “Venskabsportrætter fra Rom”, 2016, Cat. No. 3, mentioned p. 20, ill. p. 20. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, “Lasting Impressions: Etchings and Drawings by Carl Bloch”, 2018.

Provenance: Circolo Scandinavo / Skandinavisk Forening i Rom (Inv. No. A 10).

The Danish public servant and later Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Edvard Collin had a central position in the Danish art scene. Besides being a benefactor and close friend of Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), he served as secretary for the foundation named 'Fonden ad usus publicos' from 1832 to 1842. A foundation, which aimed to provide financial support to promising artists and scientists, who wished to embark on a journey abroad. Collin, during his time as secretary, helped lay the groundwork for a community between the Scandinavian artists in Italy. Following the establishment of “De Danskes Bogsamling i Rom” in 1833, Collin played a crucial role in obtaining funds and books for the collection. The library and its reading circle quickly became a meeting place for Scandinavian artists who travelled to Italy in the first half of the 19th century. Edvard Collin himself spent the winter of 1862–1863 in Rome, from where he sent a letter from his travels home to the composer and friend Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann (1805–1900) (in Danish): “... However, I will inform you of the artists of the Danish Colony: The painters: Vermehren, Olrik, Bloch, Gärtner, F.C. Lund, the sculptors Bissen, Holbech, and Ravnkilde... We stick closely together.”