Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Ove Malling
København
Udskrift: A Son Excellence / Monsieur O. Malling / Ministre intime du conseil du roi de Danemarc, Chevalier de l’ordre de l’élephant et du Danebrog etc. etc. / à / Copenhagen / par Hamburg / fr. front. papal.
Dateringen fremgår af brevudkastet.
Kommentarerne til dette brevudkast er under udarbejdelse.
Rom d. 5 Februar, 1829.
Hans Exellenz
Geheime Conferenzraad Malling
Statsminister, Ridder af Elephanten etc.
Det har været mig en stor Fornøielse, at modtage et Brev fra Deres Exellenz. Jeg glæder mig over, at De i Deres høie Alder befinder sig vel, og ønsker af helt Hjerte, at vi endnu mange Aar kunde haabe, at see Dem sund og munter.
Det er Deres Exellenz vel bekjendt, at jeg er kommet i nogen Mißforstaaelse med Herr Conferenzraad Hansen, angaaende Nicherne, og siden endnu med Døbefundten og CandelabrerneI. Jeg troer at have gjort alt, hvad har været mueligt for mig, da jeg siden den korte Tid, jeg forlod Kjøbenhavn, har forfærdigt de mange Sager, hvoraf Deres Exellenz har seet Christus og Apostlerne, og som havde den Lykke, at gefalle Dem. Men desuden er Biilledhuggerarbeidet saadanne et solid Arbeide, som tager længe Tid og fører ved de store Masser af Marmor mangen en Besværlighed med sig; derfor ogsaa er det svært, at forandre. – Jeg har nu begyndt paa de to Basreliefer i Marmor, som jeg modellerte i Kjøbenhavn, og som blev bestemt for Daaben og Skriftestolen. Christusfiguren er færdig, saa at jeg kun har nødig, at lægge i Carrara den sidste Haand derpaa, hvad jeg agter at gjøre i næste Sommer. De to Candalabrer, som Herr Conferenzraad Hansen, havde bestillt, troede jeg, skulde staae ved Christusfiguren i Marmor, og derfor har jeg ikke ilet med dem; men tvertimod vilde jeg lade dem komme sammen med Christusfiguren. Imidlertid har jeg skrevet til Carrara og ladet dem afsige.
Hvad den knælende Engel for Dødefundten og den til Island bestemte Dødefundt angaaer, saa har jeg ladet begge afforme, og sendeII til Kjøbenhavn, og jeg haaber at de vil komme til rette Tid. I denne Anledning har jeg allerede skrevet til den høie Commission. Frisen, Alexanders Indtog er næsten bosseret i Marmor, og der bliver arbeidet derpaa med alle Kræfter. Figurerne til Johannes, som prædiker i Ørken, ere færdige.
Jeg har ogsaa bedet om Maalet til Nicherne i Portalet, som ere bestemt for Propheterne, for at det, efter jeg har gjort dem, ikke gaaer ligesaadanne her, som med Apostlerne, da Propheterne ikke kan staae uden for Nicherne.
Jeg er glad ved at fornemme, at Deres Familie befinder sig vel. Jeg beder Deres Exellenz, at hilse den fra mig, og ønsker af helt Hjerte, at De imellem Deres elskede Familie, hvori ogsaa jeg har tilbragt saa mange glade Timer, som jeg raaber mig glad tilbage, endnu maae nyde mange Aar i Sundhed og Tilfredshed.
P.S. Herved følger et BrevIII til den høie Comission.
Rome, February 5th 1829
His Excellency
Geheime konferensråd Malling,
Prime minister, Knight of the Danish Order of the Elephant, etc.
It has been a great pleasure to me to receive a letter from Your Excellency. I am pleased that in your great age you feel well and wish of all my heart that for many years still we may hope to see you hale and hearty.
Your Excellency is well acquainted with my having got into some misunderstanding with Mr konferensråd Hansen, as regards the niches, and later about the baptismal font and the Candelabra. I think I have done everything possible for me, as in the short time since I left Copenhagen I have made the many articles of which Your Excellency has seen Christ and the Apostles, which had the good fortune to please you. And besides working with sculpture is such a solid work that takes a long time and it causes much trouble by the masses of marble; that is why it is also difficult to change. – I have now started the two bas-reliefs in marble, which I modelled in Copenhagen and which were decided for the baptismal font and the confessional. The figure of Christ has been finished so that I only need to apply the finishing touches to it in Carrara, which I intend to do next summer. I thought the two Candelabra, which konferensråd Hansen had commissioned, were to stand at the Christ figure in marble and that is why I have not hastened with them; on the contrary, I meant to let them arrive together with the figure of Christ. However, I have written to Carrara to have them countermanded.
As regards the kneeling angel for the baptismal font and the baptismal font for Iceland I have had casts taken of both of them and send them to Copenhagen and I hope they will arrive there on time. Referring to this I have already written to the high Building Commission. The Frieze, Alexander’s Entry has almost been shaped in marble and it is being worked at with a will. The figures for John preaching in the desert have been finished.
I have also asked for the measure of the niches in the portal, which are decided for the prophets, so that the same thing will not happen here as with the Apostles, as the prophets cannot stand outside the niches.
I am pleased to perceive that your family are well. I beg Your Excellency to give them my regards and wish of all my heart that among your beloved family, where I also have spent many happy hours which I recall with pleasure, you may still enjoy Many years content and healthy.
P.S. Enclosed is a letter to the high Building Commission.
[Translated by Karen Husum]
C.H. Lorenzen
Sidst opdateret 12.05.2015
Thorvaldsen havde modtaget bestilling på to kandelabre i marmor. Disse skulle flankere Kristus-figuren. Det blev dog ikke Thorvaldsen, men i stedet den tyske arkitekt G.F. Hetsch, der i samarbejde med den danske bronzestøber Jørgen Dalhoff, 1828 udførte, ikke to, men fire store kandelabre i bronze til alteret i Vor Frue Kirke, jf. D828.
Thorvaldsen sendte gipsafstøbninger af Dåbens engel knælende, jf. A112 og Døbefont, jf. A555,1, A555,2, A555,3, A555,4, til København senest 5.2.1829.
Se brev af 5.2.1829.