Only limited information is available about Carl Heinrich Wilhelm Matthiä, who served as an assistant to Bertel Thorvaldsen starting in 1829. Thorvaldsen, a Danish-Icelandic artist, was known for his Neoclassical sculpture and had a major influence on 19th-century art. Matthiä's role as his assistant suggests that he took part in creating some of Thorvaldsen's works, although the exact nature of his contributions is not well documented.
Matthiä accompanied Thorvaldsen from Rome to Copenhagen aboard the frigate Rota and resided in Thorvaldsen's Charlottenborg household. In November 1840, he returned to Rome, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Matthiä's final resting place is the Protestant cemetery, Cimitero Acattolico, in Rome. His works continue to be appreciated and are displayed in the Thorvaldsens Museum and Walhalla.