Nicolai Dajon

He trained as a sculptor under Jacques Saly at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1759 and won its large gold medal for the relief Israeliterne samle Manna i Ørken in 1766.

It was difficult times for a young sculptor since the few major commissions all went to Wiedewelt, and Dajon, therefore, had to survive on a small income by teaching moulding at the Academy's decoration school.

His works from this period include the allegorical sculptures of Spring, Summer and Autumn for Vodroffslund (now in the Danish National Gallery), Tapperhed and Borgerdyd for the Liberty Column (possibly after Nicolai Abildgaard's sketches).

[3] He has for instance created portrait medallions of A. C. Hviid (Regensen), Jens Low-zon (Danish National Gallery) and Christian VII (Christiansborg Court Theatre).

After the turn of the century, his work was almost exclusively confined to grave monuments of heterogeneous artistic quality.

He collaborated with Nicolai Abildgaard on the memorial decorations for Frederik VI and the Battle of Copenhagen (Slaget paa Reden) at Nørrejylland's arsenal in Randers (c. 1805) and with Peder Malling on the monument to Tordenskjold in the Church of Holmen.

Jens Juel : Portrait of the sculptor Nicolai Dajon , 1780s
Dajon: Autumn , 1783
Jens Lowson by Nicolai Dajon, 1786