Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 19th Century.
In the 1820s, the Danish navy was under reconstruction, following the Napoleonic Wars, so many officers were allowed to sail with other navies. As a result, Wulff served aboard the corvette La Bayadére, the schooner L'Estafette, and the corvette L'Echo.
Upon his return to Denmark, he initially became a teacher at the Royal Cadet Academy but soon found himself once again at sea commanding the merchant brig, Elisabeth, on a voyage to Buenos Aires. It was during this trip that he was noted for his gallantry as he bravely managed to ground the ship following a collision in the English Channel.
By 1850, Wulff had reached the rank of Captain and commanded several vessels until his retirement in 1873, at which point he’d become an Admiral.
Together with his wife, Antoinette Christiane, he raised two children, Ida Antoinette Wulff (1845-1924) and Marie Henriette Wulff (1847-1927).
This particular portrait by August Schiøtt features on Wulff’s biographies online and is recognised as a good likeness. It was quite a privilege to sit for the notable Danish portraitist as many of his subjects were Danish royalty.
Schiøtt studied in Denmark, France, England and Italy and became a member of the Royal Danish Academy in 1854.
Signed and dated in the lower left.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size including frame: 20” x 16” / 49.5cm x 41.5cm
Year of creation: 1849
Condition: Artwork in good condition with some light scuff marks around the periphery. Areas of craquelure but the paint layer is stable under varnish. The canvas has been relined.
Artist’s auction highlight: £36,800 achieved in 2000 for ‘Badende drenge en sommerdag ved Aalsgaarde i Nordsjaelland’ (175cm x 235cm).
Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 19th Century.
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August Schiott, Portrait of Rear Admiral Jorgen Peter Frederik Wulff, Antique Oil Painting
