18.9.1812

Afsender

C.F. Høyer

Afsendersted

København

Modtager

Bertel Thorvaldsen

Modtagersted

Rom

Modtagerinfo

Ingen udskrift.

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Dokument

Kiøbenhavn d. 18.d Sep: 1812.

Høystærede kiære T. Det er nu et Aar siden ieg forlod Rom, og tog Afsked med Dem beste Ven! Naar disse Tankker løbe mig i Minde om hvad ieg tabte ved at forlade Konstens Hoved Stad og en Ven ieg ingen anden Sted kan finde, er ieg til visse ikke munter – Dette maae nu være nok sagt om sligt, De kan let forestille sig Tilstanden her hvor man immer er sysselsat med Krigs-Udrustninger – Man maa finde sig i alt, nære Ønsket at det kuns ikke bliver være; At ieg i al denne Tiid ikke har seet Brev fra Dem har ofte foruruliget Deres inderlige hengivne Ven – Mit Brev af den 9d May: haaber ieg dog at være Dem tilhændekommet – Jeg gav Dem der i den ubehagelige Underretning: at Baron T-t renoncerer paa Figuren H- og den S[u]m han i Rom betalte Dem, imod at De igien betaler mig de 200 Scud som De af mig haver bekommet – Men haaber ieg De haver forstaaet tillige, at ieg haver giort alt, for at vilde spare Dem Uleilighed; Men her skrekkes man for alt hvad der ikke er Banko-Sædler. At fortælle Dem mere i detaille om denne Gienstand tillader vores Nutid ikke; Imidlertiid maa De ikke fortryde paa at ieg her ved venskabeligst bringer i Erindring om disse Penge saasom ieg hver Øyeblik paamindes af den stakkels Madm W: som er en fattig Enke og i meget trykkende Omstændigheder – Formedelst det Venskab De bærer for mig vil De venskabeligen spørge: hvorledes det gaar mig ? Jeg vil med Fornøyelse svare Dem her paa saa got som det i et aabent Brev lader sig giøre – For mine Malerier nemlig Socrates – Hero og de tvende Ossianer som Kongen naadigst sagde at han vilde have: har man betalt mig ikke hvad ieg forlangte men efter got-Befindende – nemlig den Giæld ieg var geraadet i formedelst min Hiemreyse og saa meget ieg til nød kan leve et Aar for – Jeg har malt til Receptions Stykke for Akademie – Signe og Habors Foreening ved Freya Altar En Fortælling af Sum – og er den 7d Sep: bleven optagen til Medlem – En Privat Mand som har fundet det: at være ubillig at man ikke giver mig Arbeyde til Slottet thi nu er det 7 Aar siden ieg blev smigret med Løfte har bestilt et stort Maleri hos mig for Børsen som skal anbringes mit for IndGangen – Men den Betaling som man har lovet mig for Samme vil formedelst det gale Pengevæsen ikke blive tilstrækkelig dersom at man ikke vil give meere end det Lovede – Hvad ieg fornærværende Tiid mest er bekymret for: er at faa et Sted hvor ieg kan arbeide – Saa som at ieg af Naturen er tilbøylig til at betragte alt fra den mørke Side kan De let forestille Dem hvorledes ieg i det heele taget har befundet mig hidendtil, ved min Hiemkomst – medens ieg med Sandhed kan sige, at have fundet Dørrene lukkede, mig syntes de ikkun stode aabne for Scarlataner – dog fra en anden Side, maa ieg tilstaae at have fundet gode Venner der have været villige til at hielpe med Raad og Daad for saa vidt disses Evner vare tilstrækkelige eller rettere sagt i fald ieg ikkuns havde været letsindig nok til at nytte Venners Hielp – Jeg har nu sagt Dem nok kiære T:-! for at give Dem en Idee om hvorledes ieg finder mig her med hensyn til at give Dem en Idee hvorledes man i det heele handler og tænkker her – Jeg er overbeviis om at man gierne vil De skal komme Hiem, og ieg tror tillige at man formedelst de høye Tankker man haver om Dem, ikke mangler paa Villien at giøre alt for Dem; Men der med er endnu intet giort naar man ikke forstaar at bringe til Virkelighed hvad man atraar Ved Deres Hiemkomst vilde sandsynlig ingen vinde meere end ieg, det er derfore fra flere Sider betragtet mit Høyeste Ønske; Men da ieg veed De er en Mand som kiænder Verden, der ikke lader sig forleede af Løfter, saa tør ieg neppe giøre mig Haab om denne Lykke – For nu at tale om andet! – Sommeren har været her meget ustadig for det meste Regnveier, dette har havt dette Gode med sig at det er virkelig et FrugtbaarAar, som er et særdeles Gode medens vi ere afskaarne fra al Tilførsel – Med alt dette at Skatterne voxe daglig og det meer end man forestiller sig: synes det næsten ikke mulig at ødelegge Landmanden, og hvorfor ? fordi Kornpriserne stiger tillige – Men Æmbedsmænd som leve af Gase kan man sige have ikke meer end til Huusleien – I egentlig forstand existerer her for nærværende Tiid ingen Handel, men ieg tror: at Børsen aldrig har været mere søgt end fornærværende Tiid – Dem som i senere Tiid ere blevne riige er fornemligen Jøderne og maaske nogle Bagere – Hvorledes det her seer ud med Sæderne og Tro og Love vil den som har et nogenlunde filosophisk Øye lettelig kunde see. – Blandt Dem som i Særdeleshed ønske sig i Deres venskabelige Erindring er min gode Ven Jeremias M: han er endnu ikke befordret De veed maaske at v: Smidten er bleven Amtman paa Samsøe – Lundbye er kommen her til Byen og lader Dem flittig hilse – At Sigr: Olinto er gift og hiemfaren veed De formodentlig – Til Stadens Nyhed hører: At her [i Gaar] er declareret Mariage mellem Hendes Konl. Høyhd: Prss: Caroline og hendes Unkel Hans Høyhed: Prs: [Christian] af Hessen – Byerykter siger at Maedo: vel havde forlangt hendes Portrait – Der var vel forskiællige Ting som ieg kunde meddeele Dem der fra Fædrenelandet ikke vilde være uden Interesse naar ieg kunde i et aabent Brev fortælle samme paa min Maade – Men vi maae i vores Tiid være tilfreds med at tale om Veier og Vind – Malling var saa god at give mig den behagelige Underretning fra Dem: at De venskabelig havde erindret min Sal. Moders BysteI denne Efterretning var mig saa meget behageligere eftersom ieg har manglet Brev fra Dem da ieg altsaa billigen bør slutte nemlig at ieg i Deres Tavshed lever i Deres hulde Erindring – Kiære T:! Dersom det hænder sig at De haver noget at meddeele mig enten Dem selv angaaende eller mit Væl anbelangende – Da lad mig ikke være uvidende der om directe fra Dem Selv af – De veed, at alt hvad der angaar Dem er mig saa vigtig som mit eget Væl – Med et Par Linier kan man sige meget! Hils alle gode Venner og hvor De finder min Hilsen passende. Rom lever immer i min varmeste Erindring og min Ven der hvis Venskab er min Ære. Lev vel! Lev vel! Deres inderlige hengivne

C.F. Höyer.

Adresse – At afleve[re]s til H.r Casse paa Østergade N.o 19 –

[Rundt i brevets margin er skrevet følgende:]
Vær saa god at undskyld indlagte Bellet til vores fælles Ven Malling.

NB: Hvad De ønsker at bruge mig til beder ieg De meddeeler mig Deres skriftlige Fuldmagt.

Man har sagt mig: at De ved en vis leylighed havde anbefalet mig til at giøre et Malerie for en G:R: ??-

Oversættelse af dokument

Copenhagen, September 18th 1812

Esteemed dear T. It has now been one year since I left Rome and took leave of you, best friend! When I recollect these thoughts about what I lost by leaving the main city of art and a friend I can find in no other place I certainly do not feel cheerful. – This must be enough about such things, you can easily imagine the situation here where we are all the time occupied with armament. – One must put up with everything, be desirous that it won’t get worse; Not to have seen a letter from you during all this time has often troubled your affectionate friend. – I hope my letter of May 9th has reached you. – In it I gave you the unpleasant information: that Baron T-t gives up the figure H and the sum he paid you in Rome if you again repay me the 200 scudi, which you have received from me. – However, I hope you have also understood that I have done everything to save you trouble; But here they are afraid of everything but bank notes. Our present times do not permit me to tell you more details about this object; At the same time you must not regret that by this I kindly call attention to this money as I am constantly reminded about it by the poor Madam W: who is a needy widow in rather straitened circumstances. – Because you feel friendly for me you will kindly ask me: how I am doing? With pleasure I shall answer you as well as it can be done in an open letter. – I have for my paintings, namely Socrates – Hero and the two Ossians, which the King graciously said he wanted, not been paid what I demanded but at their pleasure – namely the debt I got into because of my home journey and so much that I can hardly live for it a year. – I have painted a piece for acceptance at the Academy – Signe and Hagbard’s wedding at Freya’s altar, a tale by Suhm and September 7th: I have been admitted as a member. – A private person who has found: it is unreasonable that I am not being given work for the palace, as it is now 7 years since I was flattered with a promise, has commissioned a large painting from me for the Exchange which is to be placed straight in front of the entrance. – However, the payment I have been promised for it will not suffice because of the mad finances, if I shall not be paid more than I have been promised. – What worries me most at present: is to find a place where I can work. – As by nature I am inclined to regard everything from the dark side you can easily imagine how I have all things considered have felt up to now, at my homecoming – while truly I can say that I have found doors closed, it seemed to me they were open only to charlatans – however, on the other hand I must admit to have found good friends who have been prepared to help by word and deed so far as their gifts were sufficient or rather if I had been rash enough to make use of help from friends. – Now I have told you enough, dear T:-! to give you an idea of how I feel here and to give you an idea of how on the whole people think and act here. – I am convinced that you would be welcomed home and I think that because of the high opinion you are held in here there will be no lack of good will to do anything for you; But nothing has been done yet, when one does not understand to make real what one desires At your homecoming no one would probably gain more than I, so considered from several angles this is my highest wish; But as I know you are a person who knows the world, who does not let yourself be induced by promises I hardly dare hope for this good fortune. – Now to talk about something else! The summer here has been rather unsteady mostly rain, this has brought the good thing that it is really a fruitful year, which is an advantage while we are cut off from all supplies. – With all this that taxes rise daily and even more than one can imagine: it hardly seems possible to ruin the farmer, and why? because prices on corn also rise. – Whereas civil servants who live from salaries can be said to have no more than for the rent – At present there is no actual trade, but I think: that the Exchange has never been more called on than these days. – Those who have lately become rich are mainly the Jews and perhaps some bakers. – What it looks like here as regards customs, faith and law he who has a fairly philosophical view will easily see. – Among those who particularly want to be kindly remembered by you is my good friend Jeremiah M: he has not yet been promoted Perhaps you know that v: Smidten has become Prefect at Samsøe. – Lundbye has come here to the city and sends many regards. – You probably know that Sigr: Olinto is married and has now settled down. – It belongs to the news of the city that there [yesterday] has been announced marriage between Her Royal Highness: Princess Caroline and her uncle His Highness: Prince [Christian] of Hessen. – Rumours say that Maedo: had probably demanded her portrait. – I suppose there were various things I could tell you from our native land, which would not be uninteresting when in an open letter I could tell them in my way. – But we must be satisfied these days to talk about this and that. – Malling was so kind as to give me the pleasant information from you: that you kindly had remembered my late mother’s bust. This information was the more pleasant as I have missed a letter from you and as I fairly can infer that in your silence I live in your memory. – Dear T:! If you happen to have something to tell me either about yourself or concerning me – Then let me not be uninformed straight from you – you know that everything concerning you is as important to me as my own wellbeing. – Much can be said in a couple of lines! Give my regards to all good friends and where you find it suitable. Rome is always alive in my dearest memory and my friend there whose friendship is my honour. Take care! Take care! Yours affectionate

C.F. Höyer

Address – To be delivered to Mr Casse at Østergade No 19 –

[In the margin of the letter the following has been written:]
Please excuse the enclosed note to our mutual friend Malling.

NB: What you wish to use me for I ask you to give me your power of attorney.

I have been told: that on a special occasion you had recommended me to make a painting for a G:R: ?? -

Arkivplacering

m3 1812, nr. 23

Emneord

Personer

Værker

A763 Sophie Dorothea Høyer, 1812, inv.nr. A763

Kommentarer

  1. Thorvaldsens buste af C.F. Høyers mor Sophie Dorothea Høyer, A763.

Sidst opdateret 25.08.2019