Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Jonas Collin
København
Dateringen fremgår af brevet.
The commentary for this letter is not available at the moment.
Høistærede Hr Konferentsraad
Ganske greben af min Konges Naade beder jeg Dem herved kjære Ven, paa det indstændigste at sige Hans Majestæt min underdanigste og varmeste Tak, – men tillige hvormeget det smerter mig at jeg, i det mindste for Ø[i]eblikket ikke kunde benytte mig af Hans Majestæts allernaadigste Tilbud, at hjemsende mine Kunstsager med den i Sommer hidkommende Corvette.
For at kunde tilfulde benytte denne skiønne Leilighed, maatte jeg i det mindste have et halvt Aar Tid til Indpakning, saa meget mere, som det var fornødent, at optage en nøjagtig Fortegnelse derover, hvor da Skibet vilde blive opholt og Hiemreisen udsat til forsildig ud paa Efteraaret – tillige vilde det afholde mig fra den saa længe attraaede Reise til mit Fædreneland, som alerede siste Sommer var min faste Forsæt, men da den for Baiern forfærdigte Ryter=Statue først blev færdig i Efteraaret, saa jeg mig nød til at forandre min Beslutning, da det var mod min Læges og mine Venners Raad at reise vores nordiske Vinter i møde i min Alder, efter en fyrgetyve Aars Vane til et mildere Klima, ikke vilde være min Sundhed tienlig. – Jeg behøver ikke at sige Dem dyrebare Ven hvor stor min Længsel er, før min Død endnu engang at see mit kjære Fædreneland, og min Konge, for mundlig at takke ham for al den Naade og Velvillie hvormed han haver hædret og frydet mig. Dernest er det mig saare magtpaaliggende at bringe mine Anliggender i Orden, saa at jeg anseer det aldeles nødvendig ikke længer at opsætte denne min Reise.
Efter saaledes strax at have besvaret Deres siste Brev takker jeg Dem ret meget kjære Ven for det Venskab De i Deres første Brev beviser mig, ved at give mig en saa behagelig Efterretning som den om mine Landsmænds Interesse for en Sag hvis Fremme bestandig har været mit Yndlingsønske, nemlig Oprettelsen af et Museum for mine samtlige Kunstskatte, og som tillige lader mig haabe desfør at kunde see dette mit Ønske opfyldt, saa meget mere føler jeg mig forpligtet til at komme denne Velvillie saavel for mig som for den gode Sag – Kunstens hæderlige Anerkendelse og Udbredelse i Fædrenelandet i møde ved at give Dem kjære Ven efterstaaende Erklæring om mine Bestemmelser i saa Henseende, hvilken Medde[l]else jeg ganske overlader til Deres Indsigt at benytte paa den til Sagens Fremgang beste Maade.
“Det er saaledes min Villie at alle mine Kunstsager, saavel de “af mig selv forfærdigede Marmorarbeider, som ogsaa de af mig “anskaffede Malerier, Kobberstik, Vaser Bronser, Gemmer, “skaarne Stene, Münter, samt mit Bibliothek og min Samling af “Haandtegninger, skulde tilhøre dette Museum. – Hvilket “altsammen endnu nærmere er bestemt i mit Testament”.
I Aprill reiser jeg i Selskab med Professor Wagner til München, hvor jeg opholder mig nogle Dage og derfra gaaer jeg lige til Dannemark.
Deres hengivne Ven
Rom d 18te. Marz 1837
Albert Thorvaldsen
Honourable Konferentsråd,
Deeply moved by my King’s grace, dear friend, I ask you most earnestly by this to give to His Majesty my most humble and warmest thanks, – but also to tell him how much it pains me that, at least at the moment, I cannot avail myself of His Majesty’s most graceful offer to send home my objects of art by the corvette which arrives here this summer.
In order wholly to be able to make use of this fine occasion I should need at least half a year for packing up, the more so as it would be necessary to make an accurate list of the things, by which the ship would be delayed and the home journey postponed till it would be too late in the autumn – it would also prevent me from the journey to my native land, which I have wished for so long and which already last summer was my firm intention, but as the executed equestrian statue for Bavaria was only ready in the autumn I found it necessary to change my decision as it was against the advice of my doctor and my friends, to meet our Nordic winter at my age would not be fit for my health after being used to a milder climate for forty years. – I need to tell you, precious friend, how deeply I long to see my native land once more before my death and to see my King, verbally to thank him for all the grace and kindness with which he has honoured and pleased me. Besides, I am anxious to arrange my affairs so I consider it necessary to postpone my journey no longer.
Thus having answered your last letter immediately I thank you very much, dear friend, for the friendship you show to me in your first letter by giving me the pleasant information about the interest my countrymen take in a matter the promotion of which has ever been an important wish to me, namely the establishment of a museum for all my artefacts, and which also gives me hope that I shall see this my wish fulfilled sooner. The more I feel obliged to meet this goodwill for me as well as for the good cause – the fair recognition and extension of art in the native land by giving you, dear friend, the following statement of my decisions in that respect, which information I leave entirely to your insight to use in the best way for the success of the matter.
“It is thus my will that all my objects of art, both the works of marble executed by myself as well as the by me obtained paintings, engravings, vases, bronzes, gems, carved stones, coins, and my library and my collection of drawings should belong to this museum. – Which is all specified in my will.”
Together with professor Wagner I shall go to Munich in April, where I shall stay for a couple of days and from there I go straight to Denmark.
Yours ever friend,
Rome, March 18th 1837
Albert Thorvaldsen
[Translated by Karen Husum]
Brevet er skrevet af en koncipist, men signaturen er egenhændig.
Ditlev Blunck
Last updated 13.05.2016