Adelgunde Vogt
1811–1892 (age 81)
Biography
Adelgunde Vogt or Adelgunda Vogt (17 July 1811 – 10 June 1892) was a Danish sculptor best known for her realistic sculptures of animals in ivory and bronze. She is considered to be the first woman to work as a professional sculptor in Denmark and is credited with having pioneered the genre of animal sculpture in the country.
Vogt's work focused on life-like representations of horses, dogs, deer, and cows. She produced life-sized sculptures, in addition to smaller works cast in bronze and zinc, or carved in ivory and boxwood. Although best known for her animal sculptures, she also made portrait busts of prominent people, including Jonas Collin, Ole Bang, and Jens Peter Møller.
Although she was prevented from jointing the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, she gained informal access to the art market through Bertel Thorvaldsen, who also gave her space in his studio. Vogt's works were regularly exhibited at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition. Her pieces were purchased by a variety of influential people of the time, including Christian VIII who was one of her patrons. Much of her work no longer survives, following the 1884 fire of Christiansborg and poor archival storage techniques.