Comment on 6.8.1804
Unlike the final letter of 6.8.1804, it is quite clear what Thorvaldsen is asking of Abildgaard here. He thought the Academy of Fine Arts / Abildgaard should pay all the transport charges. He therefore suggested that he should draw a bill on Abildgaard for an amount that would cover Ulrich’s expenses for the transportation of the crates. In addition to that, Thorvaldsen also wanted a sum corresponding to the profit that he erroneously thought he had made on the sale of the busts he had sent to Copenhagen.
In the final letter he was somewhat more modest and suggested a different apportionment of the expenses although it is not completely clear how.
The matter did not end until 1806, when Abildgaard through H.M. Frisch paid part of the money while Thorvaldsen had to pay the rest, see the related article about Transportation of Thorvaldsen’s Artworks to Copenhagen 1798 and 1802.
Last updated 02.06.2015