Comment on Thorvaldsen's Spoken and Written Language
At Thiele I, p. 258, Thiele opines that this expression ought to be read as “Send me a sketch.” This is more likely, however, a reference to the fact that Schubart was well acquainted with Thorvaldsen’s difficulties with letter-writing, and so asked him to write to him casually, namely, by merely using pencil instead of the more exacting pen. Ordbog over det Danske Sprog, #2, offers the following citation from Jens Baggesen’s Labyrinten, I, p. 214, in support of such a reading: “I cast the pen away and wrote in pencil.” This seems to imply that immediate, informal writing was best done in pencil.
Last updated 30.09.2014