Antagelig 5.-7.10.1807

Sender

Bertel Thorvaldsen

Sender’s Location

Rom

Recipient

Herman Schubart

Recipient’s Location

Montenero

Dating based on

Dette brevudkast er uden tvivl svar på Schubarts invitation af 2.10.1807 til at tage til Montenero, se den generelle kommentar.
Da postekspeditionstiden for brev fra Montenero/Livorno til Rom almindeligvis var 3-5 dage, kan udkastet tidligst stamme fra 5.-7.10.1807. Desuden må det lægges til grund, at Thorvaldsen har villet skynde sig med at skrive et svar pga. Schubarts nærmest akut bønfaldende tone i hans invitation til billedhuggeren.
En datering af udkastet må da antagelig sættes til 5.-7.10.1807.

Abstract

Thorvaldsen declines the invitation to Montenero.

Document

Deres Eccellenza

Jeg er paa nye saat i en haard fristelse at tage med Hr VahlI som Rejser herfra om en 8 til[?]II 10 Dage saa udbeskrivelligIII gierne som jeg ønskede det saa er det desvære ikke mulig af mange AarsagerIV

Oversættelse af dokument

Your Excellency,

Once again I am led into a severe temptation to go with Mr Wahl who leaves from here in 8 or 10 days though I wanted it more than words can tell, I am afraid it is not possible for many reasons


[Translated by Karen Husum]

General Comment

This fragment of a draft was intended as an answer to Schubart’s urgent invitation of 2.10.1807 to Thorvaldsen to join Johan Georg Wahl on his visit to the Schubarts’ villa Montenero, ca 7 kilometres south of Leghorn in Tuscany. Among other things, Schubart wrote: “I ask you, I beseech you, my dear Thorvaldsen, to come to us.”
Thorvaldsen’s departure was so close that a seat had been reserved for him in the coach that he was to travel in, as Wahl writes in his later travel report to Thorvaldsen.


The sculptor probably began this draft of an answer to Schubart’s invitation immediately after its reception, but he never sent a finished letter. It also appears from Wahl’s travel report that the Schubarts had not been informed that the sculptor was unable to come: ”...they were very sorry that you had not come, I apologized as much as possible on your behalf …”.

Document Type

Egenhændigt udkast

Archival Reference

m28, nr. 35,3

Thiele

Ikke omtalt hos Thiele.

Persons

Commentaries

  1. The Danish painter Johan Georg Wahl.

  2. Tydningen er ordet er ikke sikker.

  3. Stavefejlen med et ekstra d efter et u forekommer hyppigt hos Thorvaldsen og er sandsynligvis et udslag af hans ordblindhed, se mere herom i Thorvaldsens tale- og skriftsprog.

  4. Regarding the reasons why Thorvaldsen declined the invitation, see the general comment.

Last updated 26.10.2015