Comment on Efter 15.6.1807
I.e. the statues of Solon and Lycurgus, which Hansen commissioned for the courthouse façade, see his letter of 31.12.1806.
The Athenian statesman Solon (ca 638 – ca 560 BC) was called one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece and is known for the quotation: Nothing in excess.
Lycurgus appears to have been a historical figure in the 700s BC and was known for his Spartan legislation.
Neither statue was realized because of the disagreement about the choice of material that Thorvaldsen discusses above.
It is rather unclear what Thorvaldsen is suggesting here. He is going to model the two statues, but it is uncertain whether they will be half size, as had been suggested earlier, and whether he will then send the (plaster) models to Copenhagen to be executed there.
Thorvaldsen seems to have chosen this vague wording deliberately in the hope that Hansen and the Building Commission for Christiansborg would think better of it and commission the two statues in marble. See more in the Commission for the Town Hall and Courthouse.
Last updated 28.09.2015