Comment on 17.1.1804
Abildgaard’s suggestion that a marble carver work under Thorvaldsen’s supervision instead of asking Thorvaldsen to execute the bust himself must be understood to mean that this was normal practice for works in marble: The sculptor did the modelling of the bust in clay while the rest of the process was largely left to assistants in the workshop. Usually, however, Thorvaldsen would undertake the final treatment of the marble. Regarding this, see the related article
Thorvaldsen’s Workshop Practice.
Last updated 22.01.2018