Comment on 5.1.1798
It must be assumed that Thorvaldsen here is referring to drawn copies because there are no known marble copies of antique sculptures until after 1799, as e.g. Homer, A751. The most natural procedure would probably have been that he practiced his marble carving skills from the beginning of his stay in Rome by copying antique sculptures, but Thorvaldsen started by carving an “original” work, the bust of Tyge Rothe, A225. Cf. Else Kai Sass: Thorvaldsens Portrætbuster, vol. I, Copenhagen 1963-65, p. 36.
Last updated 05.01.2015