Jens Juel - Joseph Greenway [1788]

Jens Juel - Joseph Greenway [1788], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Born in Devon, the sitter amassed a fortune as captain of a Danish East Indiaman and acquired Danish citizenship in 1785. He was Sheriff of Exeter from 1802 to 1803 and Mayor from 1804 to 1805. In 1821 however, he is recorded as bankrupt and dead. The background of the painting is said to represent an estate north of Copenhagen which belonged to a friend of the sitter.

Juel (1745 - 1802) first studied in Hamburg and then, from 1765, at the Academy, Copenhagen. He worked in Rome (1772-76), Paris and Geneva before returning to Copenhagen in 1780. He became court painter in Copenhagen and, later, Director of the Academy.

[Oil on canvas, 79.8 x 99.1 cm]