Comment on Norse Mythology in Thorvaldsen's Art - a Virtually Omitted Motive
According to the philologist and archaeologist Finnur Magnússon, it was Jonas Collin, a state official, who had initiated the competition by inviting “a company of esteemed and worthy men [to] set various prizes (in the amount of 200 specie) for the best drawings of themes in Norse mythology.” Cf. Finnur Magnússon [Finn Magnusen], Den Ældre Edda: En samling af de nordiske folks ældste sagn og sange, vol. 3, p. VII. See also the letter from C. F. Høyer to Thorvaldsen dated 23.6.1821, which mentions Johan Bülow as one of the competition’s main sponsors. The winners were chosen in 1822; they were the painters J. L. Lund, Andreas Ludvig Koop, and the sculptor and Thorvaldsen student Hermann Ernst Freund.
Last updated 18.08.2014