Comment on A Dispute between two Women about Thorvaldsen and his Posthumous Reputation
It is not known whether it was actually only Hans and not Hans and Bolette Puggaard who Corsaren wanted removed from Sonne’s frieze. The facts that he was a merchant and a Liberal and she was an artist seem irrelevant. It could rather be an expression of the general tendency to emphasize the importance of men. No matter what the explanation is, the things that are attributed to Hans Puggaard at the time and later may just as well be attributed to Bolette Puggaard’s influence since she seems to have played an important role in Hans Puggaard’s growing interest in art and in Thorvaldsen.
The quotation from Corsaren continues in the following way: There is one reason in particular why we would like to have Puggaard removed. It is well known that street urchins have lately got the idea to deface the figures depicted on the museum; now, one might well think that these boys do not like Puggaard and therefore might be tempted to continue their destruction to the irreparable damage of the beautiful work; therefore, we suggest replacing Puggaard with the picture of a man about whom we know with certainty that he is popular and loved by all classes in society, even the street urchins, so we would propose e.g.Turner Meyer or Davidsen. If the artist should want to do this, we are willing to place at his disposal the lifelike portraits of these two notabilities in our possession; we cannot do more for them or for the museum. Read the whole satirical comment here, Corsaren 5.11.
Last updated 22.08.2020