Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Kunstakademiet, København
København
Dateringen fremgår af brevet.
Thorvaldsen expresses his gratitude for his appointment as professor of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
Rom d: 28de Juli 1805.
Underdanigst P.M.I
Med inderlig stor Glæde og Erkjendtlighed har jeg modtaget Det Kongelige AcademiesII meget ærede Skrivelse af 15de JuniiIII, hvoraf jeg seer at det har behaget Hans Kongeligge MajestætIV paa Academiets derom gjorte Forestilling, at udnævne mig som Professor i Billedhugger Kunsten ved det Kongelige Maler Billedhugger og Bygnings AcademieV. Det er mig ubeskriveligen smigrende at erfare Academiets Bevaagenhed og Godhed for mig, hvorpaa jeg har saa mange PrøverVI, og jeg vover at bede Samme at ville bevidne for Vores Naadige Regjering min allerunderdanigste Taknemmelighed.
I Haab om at det bliver mig indnu nogen Tiid tilladt at forlænge mit Ophold i RomVII for at udføre i Marmor de hos mig bestilteVIII Arbejder, skal jeg ej mangle at tilsende Academiet en Afstøbning af det deraf som kan tjene til Prøve paa den FremgangIX jeg hidindtil har kundet gjort, og som jeg ærbødigst beder matte modtages med samme Bevaagenhed som Academiet før har værdiget mig, da jeg stræber, og stedse skal stræbe at gjøre ald den Fremgang som er mig mulig, for saaledes at kunne gjøre mig værdig til Academiets vedvarende Godhed og Yndest
Underdanigst Tjenere
B. Thorvaldsen
Rome, 28th July 1805.
Most humble Pro Memoria
With sincerely great pleasure and gratitude I have received the Academy’s favour of June 15th from which I see that it has pleased His Royal Majesty following the recommendation of the Academy to appoint me professor of the art of sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. It is to me indescribably flattering to learn about the favour and kindness of the Academy towards me, of which I have so many proofs, and I dare ask the Academy to express my most humble gratitude to our gracious government.
In the hope that I shall be permitted to prolong my sojourn in Rome for some time to execute in marble the works commissioned to me I shall not omit to send to the Academy a cast of that from it which may serve as proof of the progress I have been able to make so far, and which I respectfully ask may be received with the same favour which the Academy has vouchsafed me before, as I strive, and shall always strive to make myself deserving the continued kindness and favour of the Academy.
Most humble servant,
B. Thorvaldsen
[Translated by Karen Husum]
Regarding receipt of this letter, the journal of the Academy of Fine Arts of 7.10.1805 reads:
“Letter from Prof. Thorvaldsen, dated Rome, July 28th this year, which contains his thanks for the Academy’s recommendation to grant him the professorship of sculpture and the expression of his hope that his stay in Rome be prolonged. He also promises to send to the Academy casts of the works that he is occupied with at the moment.”
There exists a draft of 28.7.1805 of this letter.
Last updated 27.07.2015
I.e. Pro Memoria – Latin for “in remembrance”, used to recall oneself to somebody. The expression was originally a polite introduction in letters to persons of a higher rank, often civil servants. Gradually it was also used more generally in letters to or from officials, often written in one word. The expression appears frequently in the more formal letters in the Archive.
I.e. the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
Cf. letter of 15.6.1805 from the Academy of Fine Arts to Thorvaldsen.
The Danish KIng Christian 7.
I.e. the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.
Apart from the six-year travelling scholarship from the Academy of Fine Arts, Thorvaldsen also met with the understanding of the Academy regarding the prolongation of his stay in Rome, read more about this in the related article A Free Man. Thorvaldsen’s Continuance in Rome.
When Thorvaldsen expresses his hopes for a prolongation of his stay in Rome, it is because both his appointment as professor of 7.6.1805 and the Academy’s announcement of it of 15.6.1805 mention that he might be ordered to return to Denmark. See the related article A Free Man. Thorvaldsen’s Continuance in Rome.
See the list of Thorvaldsen’s works in the chronology 1805 and 1806.
Once Thorvaldsen’s success and fame had been established, he began in 1825 to send home plaster casts of his most famous work to the Academy of Fine Arts; the Academy had later commissioned a “complete collection” of Thorvaldsen’s works for the already large collection of antique casts, cf. the related article Commission for the Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.