WRITTEN BY JENS STENZ
A close look at the work of great and unusual makers
Born in 1809 in Aarhus, Denmark, Carl Mettus Weis was a polymath with a particular interest in the arts. He studied law at Copenhagen University and in 1848 was appointed permanent secretary of the government department for cultural and church affairs. He held high positions on the boards of the Royal Opera and the Carlsberg Foundation, and also played first violin in a string quartet with his three brothers. His main interest, however, lay in violin making. He helped luthiers such as Thomas Jacobsen, Gulbrand Enger and Emil Theodor Hjorth when they applied for financial help to study abroad. In return they patiently allowed him to ‘look over their shoulders’ for hours at their workbenches.
