Stephan Sinding

Stephan Abel Sinding (1846 to 1922), usually known as Stephan Sinding, was a Norwegian-Danish sculptor. Born in Trondheim, he settled in Copenhagen in 1883 and became a Danish citizen in 1890. From 1910 he lived in Paris. His place in both Norwegian and Danish art history is therefore important when describing his career.

Dramatic realism and human themes

Sinding studied under Julius Middelthun in Kristiania and Albert Wolff in Berlin. Encounters with recent French sculpture contributed to his move away from a classicist tradition. In Slaven (1878), the kneeling body with its hands bound behind its back becomes a concentrated expression of resistance. His breakthrough work, Barbarkvinne sleper sin sønns lik bort fra slagmarken, combines anatomical study with dramatic action.

Love, grief and relationships between generations became recurring themes. The Danish collector and patron Carl Jacobsen purchased and commissioned a large part of his production for the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Symbolist ideas later also entered his work, including Moder Jord and Slektens eldste. The latter sculpture's oak and maple demonstrate that his materials were not limited to bronze and marble.

The model's date and its execution are different facts

To mennesker exists in several documented versions: plaster of 1889 at Trapholt, marble of 1891 at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and the National Museum’s bronze, cast around 1893 by Friedrichshagen Gladenbeck. The year 1889 can therefore refer to the creation of the model without dating every example. The Ibsen and Bjørnson monuments outside Oslo's National Theatre were unveiled in 1899 and represent another, public aspect of his practice.

A letter from Carl Jacobsen dated 20 September 1903 records that he had commissioned Sinding's Tilbedelse in marble for the Glyptotek. Such a commission is distinct from a later date of execution. Original letters, collection catalogues and information about a foundry or workshop can consequently illuminate different stages in a work's history.

Furniture design as well

The Musée d’Orsay owns Banquette à dossier, a bench dated between 1890 and 1900, made of carved and stained oak with textiles. It came from the artist's Paris apartment. This piece shows how Sinding's sculptural and decorative interests could also become part of an interior.

What does “after Stephan Sinding” mean?

The designation “after” connects an object's subject or model to a source work. It does not establish that Sinding made or approved that particular object. Before his role can be specified, investigate the material, dimensions, casting marks, possible manufacturer and ownership history. A cast-in signature can be reproduced from the model and does not alone date the casting. The model's date, the casting date and documentation for a particular example must be kept separate.

Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.

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Sources and further reading

• Store norske leksikon: Stephan Sinding
• Norsk biografisk leksikon: Stephan Sinding
• Norsk kunstnerleksikon: Stephan Abel Sinding
• Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon: Stephan Sinding (Dansk)
• Carl Jacobsens Brevarkiv: brev 20. september 1903 (Dansk)
• Musée d’Orsay: Banquette à dossier (English/French)
• Nasjonalmuseet: To mennesker