No. 1863 of 10319
Sender Date Recipient
Giovanni Battista Sommariva [+]

Sender’s Location

Rom

 18.3.1818 [+]

Dating based on

Dateringen fremgår af bogen, hvori brevet er trykt.

 Luigi Sommariva [+]

Recipient’s Location

Paris
Abstract

Sommariva wants to tell his son in person about his commission for a marble version of Thorvaldsen’s frieze Alexander the Great’s Entry into Babylon, cf. 505. He thinks that it is the best contract that he has ever made in art as well as in business.

[...] Ti parlerò poi in persona rapporto al portentoso basso-rilievo di questo Fidia-Thorvaldsen. Vorrei sperare che fosse il miglior contratto, che io abbia mai fatto in tale materia, anche in via di speculazione. [...]

General Comment

Teksten er et uddrag af et længere brev publiceret i Lettere del Conte Gio. Battista Sommariva a suo figlio Luigi, dall’anno 1809, fino all’anno 1825, Paris 1842, p. 108-111 (Thorvaldsen-omtale p. 109). Her medtages kun den del, der har relevans for Thorvaldsen.


Udsagnene om bestillingen som spekulation udgør et vigtigt element i forståelsen af den senere opståede strid mellem Luigi Sommariva og Thorvaldsen om prisen, jf. f.eks. Thorvaldsens brev til Luigi Sommariva af 31.8.1826.

Thiele
Ikke omtalt hos Thiele.
Other references

  • Fernando Mazzoca: Villa Carlotta, Milano 1983, p. 74.
Subjects
Alexander Frieze, Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo · Thorvaldsen as Phidias or Praxiteles · Thorvaldsen's Works, not at Thorvaldsens Museum
Persons
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Works
A505
Last updated 18.04.2017 Print