Maria Christine Raben Fuglsang was a cousin of the artist and the daughter of Bendz’s paternal aunt, Mette Sophie Fuglsang, née Bendz (1767–1839). In 1830, Bendz painted a portrait of his aunt, Mette Sophie Fuglsang, which is now part of the Hirschsprung Collection.

In the “Stamtavle over Familien Bendz med alle Descendenter” (Genealogical Record of the Bendz Family and All Descendants), compiled and published by C.E. Hundrup in 1854, it is noted (in Danish) that: “Maria Christine Raben Fuglsang, born 29 September 1793, lives unmarried in Frederiksberg.”

Wilhelm Bendz began his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1820, and in 1822 became a pupil of C.W. Eckersberg (1783–1853). During this period, and until his grand tour abroad in 1831, Bendz painted numerous portraits—of the bourgeoisie, of close family members, of his fiancée, Marie Raffenberg (1811–1845), and her family—as well as self-portraits and portraits of his fellow artists at the Academy. In a short time, he became a sought-after portraitist, working in a style closely aligned with that of his esteemed teacher.