A Life Shaped by Craft and Lineage Born in Stavanger, Norway, around 1670, Knud Smith grew up in a household where art was a matter of practical skill and family tradition. He was the son of Anders Lauritzen Smith, a man who worked as both a painter and a sculptor, and Maren Knudsdatter. Growing up in such an environment meant that the boundaries between fine art and decorative craftsmanship were often blurred. Knud learned his trade at his father's side, absorbing the techniques of a man who understood how to shape both stone and pigment. His life followed a path common to many skilled craft…