The description on the back of the painting (in German), “After father’s death, this painting is my property once more 1821. H. D. C. Martens,” must mean that Martens has most likely painted the self-portrait in 1821, when he was 26, and subsequently given it to his father Johan Lorenz Martens (1763–1834) with the condition that ownership of the painting would return to him after the death of the father.

Ditlev Martens was a student of C. W. Eckersberg, and he became closely associated with Thorvaldsen during his stay in Rome, where Martens lived in 1825–1837. Thorvaldsen supported him financially by purchasing several of his works, which today hang in Thorvaldsen’s Museum. One of the most famous of his paintings is “Pope Leo XII's Visit to Thorvaldsen’s Workshops at Piazza Barberini on the Feast Day of Saint Luke, 18 October 1826” from Rome 1830.

In her diary, Baroness Ursula Dahlerup, the daughter of Ditlev Martens’ very good friend, the painter N. P. Holbech, describes her upbringing in Copenhagen, which Martens played a large part of from the time she was a little girl in the 1840s until shortly before his death in 1864, where she had become a young woman. She describes him with great affection, as a very thoughtful, fun, loving, vain, reckless, odd, flamboyant human being – she writes about his style of clothing: “He was wearing the latest Hamburg fashion: black suit, dress or coat, lace cufflinks and jabot wherein a brooch with a large brilliant was inserted – a blue satin vest with enweaved black velvet flowers – polished leather shoes with silver buckles – black cylinder hat and an embroidered silk handkerchief hanging out of the pocket. ”(Ursula Dahlerup, “Baronessens Erindringer 1840–1925”, 1989, p. 51)

One can recognize the well-dressed and self-conscious artist in this self-portrait.

Literature Henny Glarbo, “Martens og Thorvaldsen”, in “Meddelelser fra Thorvaldsens Museum”, 1944, p. 53–62, reproduced p. 53. Ursula Dahlerup, “Baronessens Erindringer 1840–1925”, 1989, reproduced p. 56).

Provenance: Baroness Ursula Dahlerup (1840–1925) - the daughter of Marten's friend the painter N. P. Holbech. The collection of artist's portraits of Johan Hansen, Consul General, his auctions, part XI, Winkel & Magnussen 151, 1934 no. 210. Given as a present to Benjamin Dahlerup (descendant of Baroness Ursula Dahlerup) by Bodil Wandel in 1939. Benjamin Dahlerup's descendants until 2018.