[1] He competed as an individual for the Neuhausen Prize in 1854 and although he did not win, his work was praised so that he obtained the support of Herman Wilhelm Bissen and his father's permission to take up sculpture.

He studied at the Copenhagen Academy of Fine Arts and then worked in Bissen's studio, learning the neoclassical tradition of Bertel Thorvaldsen.

He initially undertook art and design work, then produced small bronzes, reliefs and portrait busts, with elaborate detail and embossing.

A major breakthrough and international recognition came in 1883 with what art historian Georg Nordensvan [sv] describes as the "elegant nude figure"[3] in marble of Susanna Before the Council.

His most popular work is Hans Christian Andersen of 1887 in the Rosenborg Castle Gardens, Copenhagen.