136 / 165
and Petzhold's Neptune at the Stock Exchange ramp has
assumed enormous dim ensions. In the background, in the
square in front o f the A siatic Com pany, the tw o obelisks
w h ich were set up in 17 7 4 on the occasion of the w edding
of the heir presumptive (see cat. no. 114 ). The C ity M u
seum has a signed sketch for this sheet.
Reproduced p. 72.
1 1 6
THE H IG H W A Y OU TSIDE NØRREPORT
c. 17 8 1
In the w ake o f the great road reform s in the 1760s and
1770 s when the h ighw ays o f Zealand were laid out, fo l
low ed a repairing of the Copenhagen approach roads. 178 1
the avenue betw een Nørreport (the northern gate) and the
lakes w as opened, and in this etching w e see the tripartite
road w h ich consisted of a paved lane in the m iddle and on
either side a bridle- and footpath. In the foreground to the
left "T re H jorter", a pub on the corner of w h at w as then
Farim agsvej.
Reproduced p. 73.
1 1 7 THE H IG H W A Y OU TSIDE NØRREPORT
c. 17 8 1
This collage-like w atercolour is presum ably a contem
porary copy of Bradt's etching, cf. no. 116 . The beautiful
ideal perspective is even more emphasized b y the glu in g
together o f the tw o sheets since the view itself appears
outlined against the sky. The w atercolour m ay have been
intended as a sketch for a piece of scenery - possibly for a
to y theatre or a peepshow.
118 V IEW FROM AM A G E R T OW A R D S
CO PENH AG EN 1784
From the flat "Am ag erlan d " the artist looked at the city
from a rare angle, and he has attached great importance
to rendering the extensive scenery. H igh up on the hill at
V a lb y Frederiksberg Palace is seen to rise above the tree
crowns, and beneath it, a little closer to the city, one can
see a v ery tall m ast belon gin g to the R oyal Danish Shoot
ing Society and B rotherhood, w here the shooting of parrots
took place; few years after Haas had done this view, the
building w h ich is n ow the C ity M useum w as built. The
long one-storeyed w in gs on the imm ediate right served as
ropew alks. A b o ve the city ramparts rise the monumental
buildings w ith their tow ers and spires. O n Amager we
can see the h ig h w a y cutting d ia go n a lly across the picture
plane. The road is fairly crowded, and cattle is grazing on
either side.
Reproduced p. 75.
119 CO PENH AG EN FROM THE NO R THW E ST 1785
This v iew is quite close to the city - the artist must have
been standing betw een it and the lakes. O n the two ap
proach roads to Ø ster- and Nørreport (the eastern and
northern gates) trees have been planted so that they ap
pear as avenues (see cat. no. 116 ). T he v iew served as the
head o f a "k u n d sch aft" (letter o f recommendation) from
the m asons' and stone cutters' gu ild and w as used far into
the 19th century.
120 CO PENH AG EN FROM THE N O R TH EA ST 1786
The view in this w atercolour cannot be seen from one
place, and the artist is therefore supposed to have com
bined tw o differen t prepatory draw ings. O ne is seen from
the northeast, presum ably from a ship, while Nyholm
w ith the n aval buildings have been draw n from an eastern
point. In spite o f its naive and condensed quality, the
picture is still quite illu strative w ith its m an y colours and
the anim ated life on the outer roads.
130