Exhibited: The Nivaagaard Collection, “Venskabsportrætter fra Rom”, 2016, Cat. No. 13, mentioned p. 31, ill. p. 31.

Provenance: Circolo Scandinavo / Skandinavisk Forening i Rom (Inv. No. AI 5).

Born in Hamburg, Hermann Carmiencke started his education there and continued as a student of the Norwegian painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788–1858) in Dresden. Dahl urged him to move to Copenhagen to continue his education at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and so Carmiencke did in 1834. Besides attending the Academy, he also became a private student of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783–1853). After around 10 years of living and working in Denmark, Carmiecke was granted a scholarship from the Academy, which financed his trip to Italy. In Rome, he became a natural part of the Scandinavian artist colony, and in this portrait of his artist colleague, Boesen has depicted the gentle and calm nature of Carmiencke.

After his stay in Italy, Carmiencke returned to Denmark, where he was appointed Court painter for King Christian VIII of Denmark (1786–1848). It did not last long, however, as Carmiencke had to leave Denmark due to the 1st Schleswig War (1848–51) and migrate to New York in 1851. The migration to New York marked Carmienckes break with his second homeland as well as the Danish art environment, which he had been an important part of for many years. Carmiencke died in Brooklyn, New York, in 1867.