View from the Artist's Window

In 1825 Copenhagen was a small capital still recovering from a British bombardment and a state bankruptcy, and Martinus Rørbye was a young man living in his parents' apartment on Amaliegade, studying under Eckersberg at the academy. He painted the view from that window just as he was about to leave it for good. Look at how the room is arranged. The near sill is crowded with the small comforts of home, potted plants and a birdcage, while beyond the glass the masts of ships crowd the harbour, waiting to sail for places he had not yet seen. The caged bird sits exactly on the line between the two. Within five years Rørbye would be travelling through Norway, Italy and on to Constantinople and Greece.