Comment on The country bumpkin and the donkey-rider in the service of art and freedom
Cf. Giambattista Bassi’s letter to Thorvaldsen dated August 17, 1828, in The Thorvaldsens Museum Archives, m13 1828, nr. 82. It should be emphasized that no comparative studies of prices have been conducted to prove or disprove this thesis. We do know, however, from Christine Stampe’s unpublished manuscript of her memoirs, that Koch’s son-in-law Johann Michael Wittmer also had a fracas with Thorvaldsen when he wished to sell a painting to him and claimed that the sculptor’s offer was too low. Thorvaldsen rebuffed Wittmer by telling him that he could take his painting and sell it for more, if he could. Stampe’s account will be published later in 2018 at The Thorvaldsens Museum Archives.dk.
Last updated 14.02.2020