Comment on 24.4.1804

Here Thorvaldsen is probably referring partly to the charter of the Academy of Fine Arts, which provides that the recipients of scholarships must return to serve the King after finishing their studies abroad; and partly to the “gratification” of 300 rix-dollars from Fonden ad usus publicos, cf. the letter from the foundation of 6.3.1804, which was also from public funds and thus indebted him to the Danish state.
It is obvious, also in this draft, that Thorvaldsen wanted to postpone his return to Denmark for as long as possible, and in order not to promise anything definite he just referred to the time of the repayment of his debt as “some time”. For more details on this subject, see the related article A Free Man. Thorvaldsen’s Continuance in Rome.

Last updated 08.07.2023