No. 336 of 10319
Sender Date Recipient
Bertel Thorvaldsen [+]

Sender’s Location

Rom

Medio februar 1804 [+]

Dating based on

Vedr. dateringen, se den generelle kommentar.

C.F.F. Stanley [+]

Recipient’s Location

Napoli

Information on recipient

Ingen udskrift.

Abstract

Thorvaldsen is sorry that Stanley is still in poor health. He longs to see him in Rome. He asks him to appeal to Herman Schubart on his behalf.

See Original [Translation]

Det giør mig inderlig unt at høre at Du endnu ikke er helbredet men hav tolmodighed gode Ven en saadan lanvari sydom helbredes lit efter lit og Derfor tror ieg at Du ikke skulde opholde dig lengere i Neappel Da Du formodellig har seet det betydeligste hvad der er og naar Du kom til Rom saa haaber ieg inden Du er bekent med alle de merverdigheder som her er saa befinder Du Dig vist bedere, og saaledes med din Ven kan arbeide og profetere af alt hvad Du har seet. Det er lensel efter at have dig i mine arme som faaer mig til at skrive saaledes, Du maa elles Best hvide hvad Du kan giør og derefter Rette Dig. Glem ikke, beste Ven, saa snart Du kan gaa til vor inderlige Gode Baron Schubart og tak ham for alt den Godhed han beviser mig. De er mig ikke mulig at skrive det ieg føler for denne fortreffelige mand, og derfor beder Dig som er min Ven at udrette det for mig som det var for Dig selv. Dersom din Sydom skulde holde Dig som Gud forbyde noget lengere i Neapel saa skriv mig til imellem og vær altid min Ven som ieg betsandig skal være din T


[verso:] Jeg griber denne leilighed at skrive disse faa linier,

[verso:] om man bør opmondre børn til at gøre vel ved belønninger[,] man bør vogte for at smigre børn ved at give dem, ligesom til gjengjæld visse ting, som behager dem, for at forbunde dem

General Comment

Concerning the dating:
The draft is undated and till now has been dated November-December 1803, based on Thiele I, p. 199, where the draft is reproduced. However, the draft is more likely to date from the middle of February 1804 for the following reasons:
The draft must date from the period when Stanley was staying in Naples, i.e. from the end of 1802 until January 1805. The reference to Herman Schubart makes it possible to narrow down the date even further: When Thorvaldsen in the letter asks Stanley to go to Schubart, the letter may be dated after 12.11.1803, when Schubart (again) arrived in Naples. Schubart remained in Naples until the end of April 1804 (see Thiele I, p. 223), so the letter must have been written between November 1803 and April 1804.
If one looks at the content, there is at first not much to help determine a more precise date. Stanley’s disease does not provide a more precise date, but “the great kindness” that Schubart shows Thorvaldsen might indicate the beginning of 1804 as a more likely date of the draft since Schubart’s efforts to get formal permission from Denmark for Thorvaldsen to remain in Rome started around the turn of 1803-04, see the related article about this.
In the draft Thorvaldsen also asks Stanley to approach Schubart with the words: “…you, who are my friend, to accomplish this for me.” Stanley repeats this phrase in his letter of 28.2.1804: “Yesterday I went to … our good ambassador, Baron Schubardt, where, as your friend, I accomplished what you had enjoined me to do.” Stanley’s letter then would be the answer to the draft letter, which must therefore have been sent shortly before 28.2.1804.
Furthermore, if one looks at the content of Stanley’s previous letter of 7.2.1804, it seems very likely that Thorvaldsen’s draft is an answer to that letter, and that Thorvaldsen himself receives an answer in Stanley’s letter of 28.2.1804. As regards content, the three letters are connected.
Therefore: This is most likely Thorvaldsen’s draft of a letter that was sent in the middle of February 1804.


The draft is written on the same sheet of paper as a bill from Camillo Buti.

Archival Reference
m28, nr. 122
Document Type
Draft, autograph
Thiele
Gengivet hos Thiele I, p. 199.
Subjects
A Free Man. Thorvaldsen's Continuance in Rome · Patronage
Persons
Herman Schubart
Last updated 15.04.2015 Print