Exhibited: The Nivaagaard Collection, “Venskabsportrætter fra Rom”, 2016, Cat. No. 19, mentioned p. 37, ill. p. 37.

Provenance: Circolo Scandinavo / Skandinavisk Forening i Rom (Inv. No. A 12).

Andreas Kolberg was first admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1827 and subsequently to the model school in 1833, where he simultaneously assisted the sculptor Hermann Ernst Freund (1786–1840) in his studio. Kolberg's works from his time at the Academy are characterized by a neoclassical style, but during his stay in Rome from 1844–1849 and again from 1854–1862, he allowed himself to be inspired by the more naturalistic style of Roman antiquity.

In the present drawing, he is portrayed by Lorenz Frølich, who also worked with classical motifs by copying antique sculptures as well as reliefs by the Danish sculptors Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) and Herman Wilhelm Bissen (1798–1868). It is conceivable that the two artists could have exchanged experiences on these matters during their stay in Rome.