Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Fonden ad usus publicos
København
Dateringen fremgår af brevet.
Thorvaldsen recommends the history painter Andreas Ludvig Koop.
Efter Historienmaler Hr: KoopsI Forlangende om en Bevidnelse fr[a] min Haand, angaaende hans Flid og Fremgang i afvigte Aar, kan jeg ikke andet, end paa nyII give ham et særdeles fordelagtigt Vidnesbyrd. To historiske Compositioner, Christus i GethsemaneIII og Thors Seier over JetterneIV, som Hr: Koop har udført i Aar, vidner om et ualmindeligt talent. Især maa jeg rose Hr: Koops Flid og sande Iver for Kunsten, da han har maattet udarbeide disse Sujetter under meget ugunstige OmstændighederV. Jeg vilde ansee det for et Tab for Kunsten og Fædrelandet, hvis en ung Mand af de beste ForhaabningerVI, skulde standses paa sin Baane i et Øyeblik, da hans Talent blot behøver Opmuntring for at arbeide frem til sin Udvikling, og jeg tror, at Hr: Koop vilde kunne frembringe noget særdeles, hvis han, ved en allernaadigst Kongelig UnderstøttelseVII, kunde sættes i Stand til at fortsætte sine Studier her i Rom.
A. Thorvaldsen
Rom d. 19 Novb 1823
According to historical painter Mr Koop’s request for an expression from my hand regarding his diligence and progress during the past year I cannot but once more give him a rather favourable testimony. Two historical compositions, Christ in Gethsemane and Thor’s Victory over the Giants, which Mr Koop has made this year, give proof of an unusual talent. I must especially praise Mr Koop’s diligence and true zeal for art, as he has had to prepare these themes under very unfavourable circumstances. I should regard it as a loss to art and the native land, if a young man who gives every promise of success were to be stopped in his career at a moment when his talent only needs encouragement to work forward to its development and I think that Mr Koop would be able to produce something excellent if he could be put in a position to continue his studies here in Rome by a most gracious royal support.
A. Thorvaldsen
Rome, November 19th 1823
[Translated by Karen Husum]
There is a draft of this letter. There are only minor differences between the draft and the finished letter. There is also a slightly different draft in French.
Hermann Ernst Freund
Last updated 06.11.2015
The Danish history painter Andreas Ludvig Koop.
The year before, 8.11.1822, Thorvaldsen had signed a recommendation for Koop. There also exists a recommendation of 8.12.1824.
This painting is not known.
I.e. Koop’s painting Vola Appears before for Thor from 1823, Akademiraadet. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, inv.nr. KS 104. The oil sketch of this painting was Koop’s contribution to a competition arranged in Copenhagen in 1821 in order to promote the themes of Norse mythology. Koop won second prize for his sketch, cf. H. R. Baumann: Hermann Ernst Freunds Levned ved Victor Freund, Copenhagen 1883, p. 82. For more about the interest in these themes, see the related article Norse Mythology.
It is not known what these unfavourable circumstances were; they may be practical as well as health-related or financial. However, Thorvaldsen might also be referring to the difficulty of finding a “language” for the description of Norse mythology in Rome. For more about this lack of language, see the article on Norse Mythology.
However, Koop did not live up to expectations as he was never accepted by the Academy of Fine Arts and died in poverty in Rome.
I.e. a travelling scholarship from Fonden ad usus publicos, where the present king, in this case Frederik 6, had the final say.