Mastering the Copy

A copy of a work of art is never “just” a copy. Behind each one lies skill, time, technical mastery, and often years of dedication. In the 19th century – the focus of Mastering the Copy – copying formed the core of every artist’s training. Museums depended on copies to share art history with audiences far beyond Europe’s major galleries, offering visual knowledge no book could match while keeping original masterpieces alive in public memory.Copies also provided income for both amateurs and professionals, including the celebrated singer Emma Dahl. This publication reveals how such works shaped the National Museum’s early collections and continue to inspire today.Text in English and Norwegian.