Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Hans Henrik Gunnerus
Halden
Ingen udskrift.
Dateringen fremgår af brevudkastet.
Thorvaldsen responds to Gunnerus’ letter of 16.3.1822. He feels sympathy for Gunnerus and his unhappy situation and has decided to help him. He offers donate a relief, Caritas, cf. A598, and will arrange for its shipment as soon as possible.
Velbyrdige Hr Hans Henrich Gunerus
i FrederikssteenI i Norge
Rom le 24 Maj 1822
Jeg har imodtaget Deres Velbyrdigheds Skrivelse af 16 MartsII som og DuplicatIII af samme under 30te. Marts. – Den Tilstand hvori Ds. Vhd.IV Fader og Forsørger for en talrig FamilieV for Tiden befinder Dem har bedrøvet mig og jeg besluttede strax for saavidt det staaer i mine indskrænkede Evner at bestræbe mig for at raade Bod paa samme. – Iblandt de Arbejder som for nærværende Tid befinde sig i mine Værkstæder er der en BasreliefVI med tre Figurer forestillende Hvad Italiænerne sædvanlig benævne en Carita nemlig en Groupe af en Moder med tvende Børn, som jeg troer maaskee kunde tjene til bemeldte Hensigt. Det er udført i den skjønneste CarariskeVII Marmor, højt [tom plads levnet] bredt [tom plads levnet].VIII Jeg afstaaer Dem herved med fuldkommen Ejendomsret bemeldte Basrelief i Marmor som skal afgaae vel indpakket med allerførste til Livorno hvor hr. Vice Consul MarassiIX, Ridder af Danebrog, som jeg derom tilskriver vil aftale det Fornødne med Deres Landsmand h: StubX at bemeldte Kasse som snarest kan blive spederet enten directe til en Havn i det sydlige Norge eller og til Helsingøer. Jeg overlader til Ds. Vhd. om De maaskee selv vilde tilskrive enten hr. Conseiller de comerce et Vice Consul de S.M.D. Marassi eller hr. Stub et par Ord desangaaende.
Det vilde ubeskrivelig glæde mig hvis jeg ved bemeldte mit Arbejde kunde bidrage til at lindre Ds. Vhds. og kjære Families Tilstand. Anbefalende mig Deres venlige Ihukommelse er jeg stedse Ds. Velbyrdigheds
hengivne Ven og Tjener
Honourable Mr Hans Henrich Gunerus
In Frederikssteen in Norway
Rome, May 24th 1822
I have received Your Honour’s letter of March 16th as well as a duplicate of the same of March 30th. – The state in which Your Honour is at present, father and breadwinner for a numerous family has grieved me and I immediately decided as far as it is in my limited power to strive to remedy the same. – Among the works which at present are in my workshops there is a bas-relief with three figures representing what the Italians generally call a Caritas that is a group of a mother with two children, which I think might serve the mentioned purpose. It has been executed in the most beautiful Carraran marble, high [empty space left] wide [empty space left]. I hereby make the above-mentioned bas-relief in marble over to you with complete ownership, which as soon as possible, well packed up shall be forwarded to Leghorn where vice-consul Marassi, knight of the Dannebrog, to whom I shall write about this, will make the necessary arrangements with your countryman Mr Stub about the above-mentioned crate which as soon as possible may be forwarded either directly to a port in the South of Norway or to Elsinore. I leave it to Yr. H. If you perhaps yourself might write a few words respecting that to either Mr Conseiller de commerce et Vice Consul de S.M.D. Marassi or Mr Stub. It would please me inexpressibly if by my mentioned work I might help to relieve the condition of Yr. H. And dear family. Commending myself to your kind remembrance I am always Yr. Honour’s
faithful friend and servant
[Translated by Karen Husum]
The draft is written in the Danish archeologist P.O. Brøndsted’s note book. The original letter is not known, but the letter was printed in Nyeste Skilderie af Kjøbenhavn, where the printed version differs considerably from this draft. Among other things, the printed version contains the missing dimensions of the relief and a P.S., where Thorvaldsen adds that he is enclosing an engraving, cf. E31,11, by Samuel Amsler after the relief Caritas, cf. A598.
The letter can also be seen as part of a long correspondence that stretches from 1822 to 1833. For more information about this, see the related article.
P.O. Brøndsted
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Caritas, 1810, inv.nr. A598 |
Last updated 17.11.2015
Frederiksten fortress is at Halden, Norway. Gunnerus was emprisoned there, charged with embezzlement. See the related article for more information about Gunnerus’ situation and emprisonment.
Thorvaldsen is here referring to Gunnerus’ letter of 16.3.1822.
This duplicate is not known. However, in his letter of 16.3.1822, Gunnerus writes that, because of the instability of mail delivery, he is going to send a copy of the letter to make sure that it reaches its destination. See the related article about the mail processing time of the period and On Letters and Writing.
Dvs. Deres Velbyrdighed.
Gunnerus and his wife Anna Gotharda Gunnerus, neé Gadebusch (ca. 1781-1848) had seven children: Ditlev Gunnerus, Anna Marie, Lorentze Sophie, Franziska, Caroline, Johan Ernst and Elisabeth.
Thorvaldsen is here referring to the relief Caritas, now in the Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen, cf. A598.
I.e. marble from the quarry at Carrara in the Apuan mountains in north-west Italy. Carrara marble is known for its particularly fine white quality and was Thorvaldsen’s preferred type of marble.
As the letter is a draft by a copyist, the dimensions were to be added in the final letter. The relief Caritas, now in the Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen, cf. A598 measures 67,5×48,0 cm.
In the printed version of the letter the dimensions are as follows: “height 1 Alen [ca two feet] 2 inches, width 19 inches Danish measure”. (See also the related article about the weights and measures of the time).
Thiele has also reproduced the letter from the printed version, omitting the final P.S., cf. Thiele III, p. 147.
The Italian vice consul and wine merchant Jean Marassi (?- after 1825). Marassi received the Order of the Dannebrog in 1821, cf. Rud Bay: Sentimentalsk rejse giennem Europa til Algier 1816. Copenhagen, 1919, p. 188.
The Norwegian merchant Gerhard Stub.