J.L. Lund
Milano
Ingen udskrift.
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Montenero
Al Signor Alberto Thorvaldsen Professore, [XXX].
Dateringen fremgår af brevet.
Lund’s travel experiences on his return to Denmark after eight years in Rome. He asks Thorvaldsen for minor favours and sends greetings to mutual friends.
Mailand d 4de Septt 1810.
Kiære Ven.
Jeg skriver Dem første Postdag efter vores Ankomst i MailandI, og haaber mit Brev vil treffe Dem endnu paa MonteneroII. Vores Reise hertil har været meget behagelig. Passagen over AppeninerneIII var meget interessant, især for mig, fordi jeg har giort den største Deel af Reisen til Fods, og følgelig nydt meer af den skiønne majestætiske Natur og den reene elastiske Biergluft, end mine DamerIV som sade bestandig indlukket i Kareten, klagende over VitturinensV Langsomhed. Jeg kiender ikke Passagen over Biergene til Bologna, men jeg er sikker paa, at der kan inte være so skiønt end den Vei vi har giort. I Modena har vi opholdt os een Dag, gik saa til Piacenza, hvor jeg har seet LandisVI og CamuccinisVII MalerierVIII, og i Domkirken to andre Malerier af Landi, som De nok erindrer at have seet i Rom, i RotundenIX. Vi reiste fra Piacenza om Aftenen, og kom i gaar om Morgenen tidlig førend det var Dag hertil Mailand. Af Konstnerne har jeg endnu ingen seet, men jeg har truffen WallisX. Han har med sin sædvanlige Veltalenhed, fortalt mig meget om Spanien, og om sine Æventyrer der; han har haft Leilighed at kiøbe i Spanien mange gode gamle Malerier, som han har lovt at vise mig, men endnu er de inte udpakket, jeg tror han vil etablere sig her, og venter hver Dag sin OrsolaXI. Sønnen er voxen saa meget, at jeg neppe kiendte ham igen.
Jeg kunde misunde Dem Deres Ophold paa Montenero, hvor jeg saa gierne havde tilbragt nogle Uger endnu, og hvor min Ophold den gang har været alt for kort. Jeg er overbeviist om, at De har havt all muelig Omsorg, at mit MalerieXII er bleven godt indpakket igien, og takker Dem meget derfor. De har sikker ogsaa havt en Godhed at give til Hr. OlintoXIII den Piaster han laante mig da jeg reiste fra Montenero, jeg skylder Dem altsaa 13 Scudi romani; skulde De behøve disse Penge der, saa vär saa good, at bede Hr. BaronXIV derom, og ladt mig det vide, for i saa Fald tager jeg saa meget mindre paa det Creditiv han har været saa goed at give mig til Kiøbenhavn; men dersom De inte bruger dem nødvendig paa Montenero, skulde det være mig meget kiärt, og saa skal jeg skrive til Rom, at de bliver Dem udbetalt der. Den goede vortrefflige Baron har giort saa meget for migXV, at jeg inte gierne vilde incommodere ham endnu meere. Skulde EberleinsXVI LandskabXVII ankomme naar De er der, saa beder jeg Dem, at De vilde have det Venskab for mig og for ham, at opstille det paa den fordeelagtigste Maade, og om De kan tale til hans Fordeel saa beviser De mig et sand Venskab; han fortiener det i hver Henseende. Han er i dette Oieblik i en slem Situation, men jeg er sikker paa, at Lykken vil smile ham igjen engang.
Mine Damer hilser Dem tusinde gange, og jeg beder at erindre mig til alle paa Montenero. Det har giort mig meget ondt, at jeg inte har seet MunkXVIII førend jeg reiste, hils ham ogsaa fra mig. Skulde ArnoldXIX og JagemannXX väre i Livorno naar De faar dette, saa vær saa goed og sig dem, det har fortrydet mig meget, at mit Haab inte er bleven opfyldt at see dem i Toskana, og at det skulde være mig meget kiært, om De skriver mig til Bern, Poste restante, og give mig Deres addresser, hvor jeg kan skrive dem til.
Naar De kommer tilbage til Rom, da vær saa good, og hils alle vores Venner fra mig, og naar De har et Oieblik tilovers, da vær saa good og lad mig vide noget fra Dem og glem inte at sende mig den Fuldmagt De lovte mig, at tage Deres SagerXXI imod fra Fru AbildgaardXXII, som skal blive ophævet hos mig saa sikker som om de var i Deres egne Händer. Jeg takker Dem endnu engang for alt det Venskab De har beviist mig, og ønsker at vores Skiebne vil føre os sammen igen; og saa lev vel, og glem inte
Deres hengivne Ven
J.L. Lund
| Undskyld dette udanske Dansk |
| jeg har skreven, i Fremtiden skal |
| jeg gøre mig Umage at forbedre mig. |
Glem inte naar De kommer til Rom, at hilse vores gamle OrsolaXXIII, jeg har inte taget Afskeed med hende, for inte at bedrøve hende for meget, og hun har troet, at det var skeet af Efterladenhed, som de sikker inte har värt tilfäldet. Jeg skal hilse Dem fra Fr. BrunXXIV og IdaXXV, ogsaa WallisXXVI hilser Dem.
Milan, September 4th 1810
Dear friend,
I write on the first mail day after our arrival in Milan and hope that my letter will find you still at Montenero. Our journey to this place has been very pleasant. The passage over the Apennines was very interesting especially to me because I made the greater part of the journey on foot and so enjoyed more of the beautiful, majestic scenery and the clear elastic mountain air than my ladies who all the time sat shut in in the carriage complaining about the slowness of the vetturin. I do not know the passage over the mountains to Bologna, but I am convinced that it cannot be as beautiful as the way we have taken. In Modena we stayed one day, then went to Piacenza, where I saw Landi’s and Camuccini’s paintings and in the cathedral two more paintings by Landi, which you certainly will remember to have seen in Rome, in the rotunda. We left Piacenza in the evening and arrived yesterday very early in the morning before dawn here in Milan. I have not yet seen any of the artists, but I have met Wallis. With his usual eloquence he has told me a lot about Spain and his adventures there; he has had the opportunity in Spain to buy many good old paintings, which he has promised to show me, but they have not been unpacked yet, I think he will settle down here, and expects his Orsola every day. His son has grown so much that I could hardly recognize him.
I could envy you your stay at Montenero, where I should have liked o spend some more weeks and where my stay has been far too short this time. I am convinced that all possible care has been taken of you, that my painting has been packed up well again and thank you very much for this. You have surely also been so kind as to give to Mr Olinto the Piaster he lent me when I left Montnero, so I owe you 13 Roman Scudi; if you should need this money there, then please ask the Baron for it and let me know, for in that case I shall draw so much less from what he has been so kind to accredit me to Copenhagen; but if you do not need it at Montenero it would please me and then I shall write to Rome, so that it will be paid out to you there. The kind and excellent Baron has done so much for me that I should not like to trouble him even more. Should Eberlein’s landscape arrive while you are there, then I beg you to show me and him the kindness to exhibit it to its advantage and if you can speak well of him then you prove yourself a true friend to me; he deserves it in all respects. He is in troubles at the moment, but I am convinced that fortune will smile on him again.
My ladies send a thousand regards to you, and I beg you to remember me to all at Montenero. I was rather sorry not to see Munk before I left, please give him my regards. If Arnold and Jagermann are in Leghorn when you receive this then please tell them that I regret not to have my hope fulfilled of seeing them in Toscany and I should be pleased if they will write to me in Bern poste restante and give me their addresses where I can write to them.
When you return to Rome then please give my regards to all our friends and when you can spare a moment then be so kind as to let me know something from you and do not forget to send me the authority you promised me to receive your things from Mrs Abildgaard, which shall be taken care of by me as if they were in your own hands.
I thank you once more for the friendship you have shown me and wish fate to bring us together again, all the best and do not forget
Your faithful friend,
J.L. Lund
| Excuse this not Danish Danish | |
| I have written, In future I | |
| shall strive to improve it. |
Do not forget when you come to Rome to give my regards to our old Orsola, I did not take leave of her, not to make her too sad, and she has thought that it had happened from negligence, which has certainly not been the case. Kind regards to you from Fr. Brun and Ida, Wallis also sends his regards.
[Translated by Karen Husum]
Last updated 27.11.2017
Dvs. Milano.
Thorvaldsen stayed at Herman Schubart’s summer residence at Montenero from the end of August 1810 till 15.9.1810.
Bjergkæden Appenninerne i Italien.
The author Friederike Brun and her daughter Ida Brun, who send greetings to Thorvaldsen at the end of Lund’s letter.
The words “my ladies” must be used in jest.
That Friederike Brun was Lund’s travelling companion is confirmed in a letter dated 17.7.1810 from J.F. Clemens to J.L. Lund, cf. Leo Swane: J.F. Clemens. Biografi samt fortegnelse over hans kobberstik, Copenhagen 1929, p. 316.
In Italian vetturino, a four-wheeled carriage, especially one for hire.
The Italian painter Gaspare Landi.
The Italian painter Vincenzo Camuccini.
Landi and Camuccini each executed a painting for the church San Giovanni in Canale, Piacenza, The Ascent to Calvary, 1808 and The Presentation at the Temple, 1808.
Before the hanging in San Giovanni in Canale, Landi’s and Camuccini’s paintings were exhibited in the Pantheon, i.e. the “rotunda”, in Rome, 1809, cf. Silvestra Bietoletti and Michele Dantini: L’Ottocento Italiano, La Storie, Gli Artisti, Le Opere, Firenze 2002, p. 42, where Thorvaldsen had seen them.
The English painter George Augustus Wallis, who lived in Milan at that time.
George Augustus Wallis’ Italian wife Orsola Wallis.
Probably J.L. Lund’s second historical painting Pyrrhus and Andromache before Hector’s Tomb, 1807-10. Read more about this in Lund’s biography.
Herman Schubart’s protegé Olinto dal Borgo.
I.e. Herman Schubart.
Herman Schubart had financed Lund’s second historical painting Pyrrhus and Andromache before Hector’s Tomb, 1807-10.
Read more about this in Lund’s “biography”:http://arkivet.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/personer/lund-j-l#Lunds_andet_historiemaleri_18071810.
The German painter Johan Christian Eberlein.
Eberlein’s landscape has not been identified.
The Norwegian painter Jacob Munch.
This person has not yet been identified.
The German painter Ferdinand Jagemann.
In 1798 and 1802 – when he was still planning to return to Denmark – Thorvaldsen had sent books, prints, etc. to Nicolai Abildgaard in Copenhagen. As appears below, these things were still with Abildgaard’s widow. See Transportation of Thorvaldsen’s Artworks to Copenhagen 1798 and 1802.
The Danish painter Nicolai Abildgaard’s widow Juliane Marie Abildgaard.
Thorvaldsen’s former landlady in Via Sistina Orsola Polverini Narlinghi.
The author Friederike Brun.
Friederike Brun’s daughter Ida Brun.
The English painter George Augustus Wallis, who lived in Milan at that time.