Nicolai Dajon

Nicolai Dejon
Born	(1748-01-21)January 21, 1748 Copenhagen, Denmark
Died	June 4, 1809(1809-06-04) (aged 61) Copenhagen, Denmark
Resting place	Assistens Cemetery, Copenhagen
Nationality	Danish
Education	Royal Danish Academy of Art
Known for	Sculpture

Nicolai Dajon (21 January 1748 - 14 December 1823) was a Danish sculptor. He served as director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1818 to 1821.

Life

Early life and education

Dajon was born on 21 January 1748 in Copenhavgen, the son of building administrator Frantz Dajon (1719-94) and Agnete Plum (1718-87). His family family was of French origin but had been present in Denmark from at least 1624 and had for several generations counted members in royal service. He trained as a sculptor under Jacques Saly at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1759 and won its large gold medal for the relief Israeliterne samle Manna i Ørken in 1766.

Career

Dajon began his career as an employee in Johannes Wiedewelt's stidop. Although he received promise of a travel stipend in conjunction with the gold medal, the actual funds would not be made available until 1776. He made his way over Germany to Utaly. In 1778, he sent a now lost statue of Paris in half natural size back to Denmark.

He returned to Denmark in 1781 and was in 1783 admitted as member of the Academy. Hisadmission piece was an allegorical representation of the Baltic Sea in the gform of a reclined figure. It was difficult times for a young sculptor since the few major commissions all went to Wiedewelt, and Dajon therefore had to survice on a small income by teaching moulding at the Academy's decoration school.

In 1803,after Wiedewelt's death, he was finally appointed as professor at the Academy. He served as director of the Academy from 1818 to 1821.

Death

He died on 14 December 1823 and is buried in Assistens Cemetery.

Works

Dajon: Authumn, 1783

Dajon has only left a relatively small body of work. His best works are from the 1780s and 1790s. His style remained more closely influenced by his training under Saly than the Classicism that would later become fashionable. His works from this period include the allegorical sculptures of Spring Summer and Authumn for Vodroffslund (now in the Danish National Gallery), Tapperhed and Borgerdyd for the Liberty Column (possibly after Nicolai Abildgaard's sketches).

Jens Lowson by Nicolai Dajon, 1786

He has also created a number of portraits. including a portrait bust of Crown Prince Frederick (1783-84, Sorø Academy), portrait medallions of A. C. Hviid (Regensen) and Jens Low-zon (Danish National Gallery) and a marble bust of A. P. Bernstorff for Landhusholdningsselskabet (now Frederiksborg Museum).

After the turn of the century his work was amost exclusively confined to grave monuments of heterogenous artistic quality. A number of these are located in Assistens Cemetery. He would occasionally also receive a portrait commission. A couple of times he would also collaborate with other artists on decorative assignments. He collaborated with Nicolai Abildgaard on the memorial decorations for Frederik VI and the Battle of Copenhagen (Slaget paa Reden) at Nørrejylland's arsenal in Randers (c. 1805) and with Peder Malling on the monument to Tordenskjold in the Church of Holmen. His portrait relief of the navel heroe was based on Balthasar Denner's portrait painting.

External links

• Nicolai Dajon at Kunstindeks Danmark

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