Pietro Boyesen
Encyclopedia
Pietro Thyge Boyesen (1819–1882) was a Danish
photographer who spent most of his professional life in Rome
. He is remembered in particular for his portraits of Scandinavians visiting Rome, many of which are now in the Royal Library in Copenhagen.
in 1819 or 1820. His parents were Peter Thyge Boyesen, a wholesaler, and Maria Christine Lange. After training as a painter's apprentice, he went to Munich
in 1845 together with his colleague Theodor Meldahl, a brother of the architect Ferdinand Meldahl. Here he stayed for 10 years, working as a photographer before leaving for Rome where he spent the rest of his life.
shots of Scandinavians visiting Rome, taken in the yard outside his studio door. Over the door frame, the word "Roma" can be seen, sometimes with the year when the photograph was taken, and on either side of the door there are various flowers, some in pots.
Boyesen had a talent for composition and characterization. In contrast to the staid studio portraits which were so common at the time, Boyesen would have his subjects pose outdoors in intimate Roman settings. By playing with the subjects' clothes and their relationship to the surroundings, Boyesen would produce works presenting a somewhat timid but intimate charm.
He died in Rome on 26 June 1882 and is buried in the non-catholic cemetery
.
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...
photographer who spent most of his professional life in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He is remembered in particular for his portraits of Scandinavians visiting Rome, many of which are now in the Royal Library in Copenhagen.
Early life
Boyesen was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
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...
in 1819 or 1820. His parents were Peter Thyge Boyesen, a wholesaler, and Maria Christine Lange. After training as a painter's apprentice, he went to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1845 together with his colleague Theodor Meldahl, a brother of the architect Ferdinand Meldahl. Here he stayed for 10 years, working as a photographer before leaving for Rome where he spent the rest of his life.
Years in Rome
Always modest and reserved, he usually photographed outdoor scenes, genre pictures or portraits which he sold to artists and tourists. Frederik G. Knudtzon, who wrote one of the most interesting accounts of life among the Scandinavians in Rome in the 19th century, spoke of "the Danish photographer Pietro Boyesen, who was rarely seen, because he was always busy." Boyesen was later able to supplement his income by working as a clerk for the German embassy. He took photographs of animals and plants, as well as pictures depicting the lives of ordinary Italians. Many of his photographs are carte de visiteCarte de visite
The carte de visite was a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris, France by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Dodero...
shots of Scandinavians visiting Rome, taken in the yard outside his studio door. Over the door frame, the word "Roma" can be seen, sometimes with the year when the photograph was taken, and on either side of the door there are various flowers, some in pots.
Boyesen had a talent for composition and characterization. In contrast to the staid studio portraits which were so common at the time, Boyesen would have his subjects pose outdoors in intimate Roman settings. By playing with the subjects' clothes and their relationship to the surroundings, Boyesen would produce works presenting a somewhat timid but intimate charm.
He died in Rome on 26 June 1882 and is buried in the non-catholic cemetery
Protestant Cemetery, Rome
The Protestant Cemetery , now officially called the Cimitero acattolico and often referred to as the Cimitero degli Inglesi is a cemetery in Rome, located near Porta San Paolo alongside the Pyramid of Cestius, a small-scale Egyptian-style pyramid built in 30 BC as a tomb and later incorporated...
.