Bissen

Bissen, Wilhem, born near Slesvig in 1798, studied sculpture in Rome under Thorwaldsen, and returned to Denmark, where he produced some fine works. In 1841 he was again in Rome, having received a commission from the Danish Government. A few years later he carved the Greek frieze that adorns the great hall of the palace at Copenhagen, where in 1850 he became director of the Academy of Arts. Thorwaldsen left to him at his decease the completion of his unfinished statue. His best-known works are Cupid sharpening his Arrow, and Atalanta hunting. He died in 1868.