Jacob Fortling
Encyclopedia
Jacob Fortling was a German
-Danish
sculptor, architect and manufacturer, described as one of the most industrious people in the Denmark of his day. He came to Denmark at age 18 and embarked on a successful career, first as a sculptor and later also as an architect. He was also engaged in the production of building materials, owning several quaries in Norway. Just outside Copenhagen
, on Amager
's east coast, he founded Kastrup Værk
, a large industrial facility combining a lime plant, a brickyard and a pottery.
Kastrupgård
, his former home, has been turned into an art museum.
Fortling was born on 23 December 1711 in Bayreuthin present day Germany. He trained as a mason and stone carver and came to Denmark to work on the many large Royal building projects under King Christian VI
, collaborating with sculptors such as Jacques Saly
and Simon Carl Stanley
. He executed the Queen's Staircase at Christiansborg Palace
.
In 1738 he received Danish citizenship and was in 1740 appointed Stone Carver to the Danish Court. In the 1740s he worked on Christiansborg Palace
where his contributions included the Queen's Staircase. He also created the main staircases for Ledreborg Palace and the Holstein Mansion in Copenhagen (1756). At the naval base at Holmen
, he created the King's Gate.
and Nicolai Eigtved
, the two leading Danish architects of the time, and finally completed his training as an architect. He assimilated Eigtved's refined Rococo style and, after Eigtved's death in 1754, became de Thurah's right hand man.
In 1756, he was appointed Royal Building Inspector for Copenhagen, Zealand and Falster
and, after de Thurah's death, he became Royal Building Master in 1760 but died the following year.
which was ruled by the Danish King and supplied many of the minerals used in the building industry in Denmark at that time. In 1744 he acquired royal privileges for two quarries, one at Akershus
and one at Lier
, extracting marble and from 1849 also talc
. In 1759 he also established a quarry at Trondheim
.
, an island in Øresund off the coast of Amager
, and opened a lime plant at Kastrup Værk
, with its own harbour on an artificial peninsula in 1749. He soon diversified with a brickyard (1752) and a pottery specializing in faience
(1755) at the same site.
From 1749 to 1753, he also built Kastrupgåtf
in the same area, a large country house and agricultural estate where he took up residence when it was completed. His business enterprises also included a distillery and a brewery.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
sculptor, architect and manufacturer, described as one of the most industrious people in the Denmark of his day. He came to Denmark at age 18 and embarked on a successful career, first as a sculptor and later also as an architect. He was also engaged in the production of building materials, owning several quaries in Norway. Just outside Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, on Amager
Amager
Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...
's east coast, he founded Kastrup Værk
Kastrup Værk
Kastrup Værk was a pottery and tile works in Kastrup, now a suburb of Copenhagen, on the Danish island of Amager.-History:...
, a large industrial facility combining a lime plant, a brickyard and a pottery.
Kastrupgård
Kastrupgård Collection
Kastrupgård is a former country house, dating from the mid 18th century, in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is now a museum housing the Kastrupgård Collection of modern art, which is owned and operated by Tårnby Municipality....
, his former home, has been turned into an art museum.
Early life and career as a sculptor
Christian VI of Denmark
Christian VI was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.He was the son of King Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He married Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and fathered Frederick V.-The reign and personality of Christian VI:To posterity Christian...
, collaborating with sculptors such as Jacques Saly
Jacques Saly
Jacques François Joseph Saly, also known as Jacques Saly , French-born sculptor who worked in France, Denmark, and Italy, was born in Valenciennes to Francois Marie Saly and wife Marie Michelle....
and Simon Carl Stanley
Simon Carl Stanley
Simon Carl Stanley was a sculptor and was born of English parents.When he showed as a boy feel like drawing and træskæring, put him apprentice with hofbilledhugger JC Sturmberg...
. He executed the Queen's Staircase at Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
.
In 1738 he received Danish citizenship and was in 1740 appointed Stone Carver to the Danish Court. In the 1740s he worked on Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
where his contributions included the Queen's Staircase. He also created the main staircases for Ledreborg Palace and the Holstein Mansion in Copenhagen (1756). At the naval base at Holmen
Holmen, Copenhagen
Holmen is an area in central Copenhagen, Denmark. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern extension of Christianshavn between Zealand and the northern tip of Amager....
, he created the King's Gate.
Turn to architecture
Fortling collaborated closely with both Lauritz de ThurahLauritz de Thurah
Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah , was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period...
and Nicolai Eigtved
Nicolai Eigtved
Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved, , Danish architect, introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo style in Danish architecture during the 1730s-1740s. He designed and built some of the most prominent buildings of his time, a number of which still stand to this day...
, the two leading Danish architects of the time, and finally completed his training as an architect. He assimilated Eigtved's refined Rococo style and, after Eigtved's death in 1754, became de Thurah's right hand man.
In 1756, he was appointed Royal Building Inspector for Copenhagen, Zealand and Falster
Falster
Falster is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of 514 km² and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality...
and, after de Thurah's death, he became Royal Building Master in 1760 but died the following year.
Quarries in Norway
Fortling also engaged in the production of building materials. In search of good quality stone, he made two journeys to NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
which was ruled by the Danish King and supplied many of the minerals used in the building industry in Denmark at that time. In 1744 he acquired royal privileges for two quarries, one at Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
and one at Lier
Lier, Norway
Lier is an affluent municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lier. The municipality of Lier was established on 1 January 1838...
, extracting marble and from 1849 also talc
Talc
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
. In 1759 he also established a quarry at Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
.
Activities at Kastrup
In Denmark, Fortling established a limestone quarry on SaltholmSaltholm
Saltholm is a Danish island in the Øresund, the strait that separates Denmark and Sweden. It is located to the east of the Danish island of Amager in Tårnby municipality and lies just to the west of the sea border between Denmark and Sweden. It is 7 km long and 3 km wide, covering an...
, an island in Øresund off the coast of Amager
Amager
Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...
, and opened a lime plant at Kastrup Værk
Kastrup Værk
Kastrup Værk was a pottery and tile works in Kastrup, now a suburb of Copenhagen, on the Danish island of Amager.-History:...
, with its own harbour on an artificial peninsula in 1749. He soon diversified with a brickyard (1752) and a pottery specializing in faience
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
(1755) at the same site.
From 1749 to 1753, he also built Kastrupgåtf
Kastrupgård Collection
Kastrupgård is a former country house, dating from the mid 18th century, in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is now a museum housing the Kastrupgård Collection of modern art, which is owned and operated by Tårnby Municipality....
in the same area, a large country house and agricultural estate where he took up residence when it was completed. His business enterprises also included a distillery and a brewery.
Works
- Work on Christiansborg PalaceChristiansborg PalaceChristiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
, including the Queen's Staircase (1733–40, burnt 1794) - Decorative work on Ledreborg Palace, including main staircase (1743–50)
- King's Gate at the Arsenalet at HolmenHolmen, CopenhagenHolmen is an area in central Copenhagen, Denmark. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern extension of Christianshavn between Zealand and the northern tip of Amager....
, Copenhagen (1745–47) - Town house (next to Barchmann Mansion), Ny Kongensgade, Copenhagen (after 1747)
- Kastrup VærkKastrup VærkKastrup Værk was a pottery and tile works in Kastrup, now a suburb of Copenhagen, on the Danish island of Amager.-History:...
with harbour (1749–53) - KastrupgårdKastrupgård CollectionKastrupgård is a former country house, dating from the mid 18th century, in Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is now a museum housing the Kastrupgård Collection of modern art, which is owned and operated by Tårnby Municipality....
, Kastrup (1749–53) - Lindencrone Mansion, BredgadeBredgadeBredgade is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major streets in Frederiksstaden, a Rococo district laid out in the middle of the...
/Sankt Annæ PladsSankt Annæ PladsSankt Annæ Plads is a public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and the Frederiksstaden district in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which extends inland from the waterfront, at a point just north of the Royal Danish Playhouse at the base of the Kvæsthusbroen...
, Copenhagen (1751–54, attributed) - Portal for Frederiksberg Gardens (except the vases later added by Johann Friedrich Hänel) (1755)
- Rebuilding of the Schack Mansion, Amalienborg PalaceAmalienborg PalaceAmalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard ; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's...
, Copenhagen (1755–57, with Johan Boye Junge) - Extra floor and ballustrade, vestibule and main staircase, Holstein Mansion, Stormgade, Copenhagen (1756)
- Decorative works, Christian's Church, ChristianshavnChristianshavnChristianshavn is an artificial island neighbourhood located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in the early 17th century by Christian IV as part of his extension of the fortifications of Copenhagen. Originally it was laid out as an independent privileged merchant's town with inspiration from...
, Copenhagen (1755–59) - Tower at Gråbrødre Church, ViborgViborgViborg may refer to:*Viborg, Denmark, a city in Jutland, Denmark**Viborg Municipality, a Danish municipality named for the city**Viborg County, a former county of Denmark**Diocese of Viborg**Viborg FF, a professional football team based in Viborg...
(1760) - Connabder's House, Rosenborg CastleRosenborg CastleRosenborg Castle is a renaissance castle located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects...
, Copenhagen (1760) - Extra floor, Marshall's House, Fredensborg PalaceFredensborg PalaceFredensborg Palace, , is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn residence, and is often the site of important state visits and events in the Royal Family...
, FredensborgFredensborgFredensborg is a railway town with a population of 8,377 located in Fredensborg Municipality, Denmark at the railroad between Hillerød and Helsingør....
(1760–61) - Nesstofa at SeltjarnarnesSeltjarnarnesSeltjarnarnes is an Icelandic township located within the Greater Reykjavík area.It took on its current political form shortly after the Second World War and was formally created as a township in 1947. It is the smallest Icelandic township by land ....
, IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...