Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Christian 8.
København
Dateringen fremgår af brevet.
An accident with the marble for the portrait statue of Caroline Amalie makes it impossible for Thorvaldsen to include the statue in the next shipment to Denmark. However, he can send the prince an excellent antique vase – though it has not yet been bought. The greater part of the Alexander Frieze, cf. A503, will be sent home, as will several other works, among them some that are half-finished and can be finished in Copenhagen. Thorvaldsen has received a list of the plaster casts of his works owned by the Academy of Fine Arts, and based on that he will be able to execute and send others. He recommends H.W. Bissen for the execution of the frieze for the great hall of Christiansborg Palace. He has bought a painting by Wilhelm Bendz that is to be exhibited in Hamburg and then sent on to Copenhagen. “Immediately after” the artworks have been sent off from Leghorn, he intends to begin his journey to Copenhagen.
Min naadigste Prinds!
At jeg først nu besvarer Deres kongelige Høiheds saa meget naadige Skrivelser af 29de Dcbr: 1832I og 26de Febr: 1833II, haaber jeg mig tilgivet ved den Overbærenhed, som De tidligere har viist mig, ligesom jeg ogsaa bør anføre min usikkre SkriftIII og mine svage Øine som Undskyldning for at en fremmed HaandIV nedskriver disse Linier, der ellers vilde blive altfor byrdefulde at læse for Deres kongelige Høihed.
Den Naade og Godhed, som Deres Kongelige Høihed hidtil stedse viiste mig, finder jeg atter i Deres tvende Skrivelser med Hensyn til mine Konstsagers AfsendelseV og min Reise til DanmarkVI, tilligemed de dermed forbundne Omstændigheder, og jeg føler mig paa det behageligste forpligtet til at anvende Alt for at fortjene denne hædrende Opmærksomhed.
Det er mig derfor dobbelt ukjært at tilmelde Deres Kongelige Høihed at et gjentaget Uheld med Marmoret fra CararaVII til Deres Høje GemahlindesVIII PortraitstatueIX gjør mig det neppe mueligt at opfylde Deres Begjering om dette Arbeides Hjemsendelse, som iøvrigt skal ligge mig nærmest paa Hjertet. Jeg haaber derimod ganske at kunde tilfredsstille Deres Kongelige Høiheds Ønske om en udmærket antik VaseX: Antallet af de opgravede er betydelig formeret og Prisen siunken: dog vil jeg samvittighedsfuld vrageXI og ikke ile formeget. – Med Hensyn til Frisen Alexanders TriumfXII, da haaber jeg at kunde hjemsende den største Deel af samme. Foruden de Arbeider, hvis Afsendelse Deres Kongelige Høihed allerede har Kundskab om, agter jeg ligeledes at hjemsende nogle andre halv udførte i Marmor, og som jeg under mit Ophold hjemme vil kunde faa Leilighed til at fuldende: derimellem høre de tvende af mig i Kiøbenhavn modelerede BasrelievsXIII –
Af Architekt HansenXIV har jeg modtaget en FortegnelseXV paa de Gibsafstøbninger af mine ArbeiderXVI, som Academiet ejer, og som kan tjene mig til Rettesnoer for de Gibssager, som jeg efter Deres Kongelige Høiheds Begjering lader hjemgaa ved denne Leilighed.
Deres Kongelige Høiheds godhedsfulde TilladelseXVII til de herværende danske Kunstnere med Hensyn til deres Arbeiders Transport med den kommende Skibsleilighed, vil med den dybeste Taknemmelighed blive afbenyttet. I Henseende til Deres Kongelige Høiheds YttringXVIII angaaende Frisen til Riddersalen, hvis Udførelse jeg ikke seer mig istand til at overtage mig, da er jeg med Glæde beredt til at anbefale BissenXIX paa det varmeste: imidlertid har han yttret, og jeg maa indrømme det, at det vilde gavne dette Arbeide betydeligt, hvis han sattes istand til at udføre det her paa StedetXX: han ønsker i den Anledning underdanigst at tilskrive Deres Kongelige Høihed.
Af Landskabsmaler FearnlyXXI har jeg kjøbt det af den talentfulde BendtzXXII sidst udførte MalerieXXIII i Tydskland, og da det er afgaaet til den Hamborgske Udstilling, haaber jeg at see det i Kiøbenhavn blandt de øvrige Sager, som godhedsfuld blive hensatte i det for mig indrettede AttelierXXIV.
Min Afreise fra Rom agter jeg at tiltræde strax efterXXV at Konstsagerne ere afgaaede fra Livorno og saaledes venter jeg til Efteraaret at gjensee Danmark og mundtlig bevidne Hans Majestæt KongenXXVI, Deres Kongelige Højhed og Deres ophøjede Gemahlinde min underdanigste og hjerteligste Tak for Deres saa hædrende Opmærksomhed imod mig.
Rom d: 6te April 1833.
underdanigst
Albert Thorvaldsen
Most gracious Prince,
With the tolerance you have shown me previously I hope to be forgiven for answering Your Royal Highness’ favours of December 29th 1832 and February 26th 1833 only now. I should also mention my insecure writing and my weak eyes as an excuse for letting a stranger’s hand write these lines, which otherwise would be too troublesome to read for Your Royal Highness.
The grace and kindness Your Royal Highness has ever shown towards me I find again in your two letters concerning the sending off my objects of art and my journey to Denmark together with the circumstances connected to it, and I feel pleasantly obliged to apply everything to deserve this honourable attention.
That is why it is twofold unpleasant to me to inform Your Royal Highness that a repeated accident with marble from Carrara for the portrait statue of your high spouse will hardly make it possible to comply with your request to send this work home, which moreover is a matter I feel very deeply about. On the other hand I hope to be able to satisfy Your Royal Highness’ wish for an excellent antique vase: The number of the ones unearthed has increased considerably and the price has fallen: but I shall conscientiously sort some out and not make too much haste. – As regards the Frieze Alexander’s Triumph I hope to be able to send home the greater part of it. Besides the works the sending home of which Your Royal Highness is already informed I also intend to send home some others, half-finished in marble, which during my stay at home I will get opportunity to finish: among these are the two bas-reliefs modelled by me in Copenhagen. –
From architect Hansen I have received a list of the plaster casts of my works, which the Academy of Fine Arts owns and which may serve as guidance for the objects in plaster, which I send home on this occasion at Your Royal Highness’ request.
The kind permission from Your Royal Highness to the present Danish artists as regards the transport of their works by the coming shipping opportunity will be seized with the deepest gratitude. As regards Your Royal Highness’ remark about the frieze for the banqueting hall, the execution of which I am not able to take upon myself, I am with pleasure prepared to recommend Bissen most warmly. He has, however, expressed that it would be considerably beneficial to this work if he would be able to carry it out here in this place, and I must grant him that, he wishes most humbly to write to Your Royal Highness about this matter.
I have bought the latest painting in Germany by the talented Bendtz from the landscape painter Fearnly, and as it has been forwarded to the Hamburg exhibition, I hope to see it in Copenhagen among the other things, which will kindly be placed in the studio prepared for me.
I intend to start my departure from Rome immediately after the objects of art have been despatched from Leghorn and thus I expect to see Denmark again in the autumn and verbally render to His Majesty the King, Your Royal Highness and your high spouse my most humble and sincere thanks for your honourable kindness towards me.
Rome, April 6th 1833
Most humbly,
Albert Thorvaldsen
[Translated by Karen Husum]
Ludvig Bødtcher
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Kunstnere i Fincks Kaffehus i München, 1832, inv.nr. B197 |
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Caroline Amalie, 1827, inv.nr. A164 |
Last updated 25.04.2017
Cf. letter dated 29.12.1832 from Christian (8.) Frederik to Thorvaldsen.
Cf. letter dated 26.2.1833 from Christian (8.) Frederik to Thorvaldsen.
Cf. the related article Thorvaldsen’s Spoken and Written Language.
The letter is written by the Danish author
Ludvig Bødtcher.
Cf. the related article Transportation of Thorvaldsen’s Artworks to Copenhagen 1833.
Thorvaldsen was planning to go to Copenhagen in the autumn of 1832, but the journey was postponed several times and not begun until 5.8.1838. See documents regarding the subject Cancelled Journeys to Denmark.
I.e. the marble quarry at Carrara, Italy.
The Danish Princess Caroline Amalie.
The portrait statue of Caroline Amalie, A164, was never executed in marble in spite of Christian (8.) Frederik’s repeated wishes, cf. documents regarding the subject Portrait Statue of Caroline Amalie.
In a letter dated 26.2.1833, Christian (8.) Frederik had asked Thorvaldsen to buy an antique vase from the antique Etruscan town of Vulci for him. In the years following 1828, the archaeological finds from the town were sold by the French politician Lucien Bonaparte – he owned the area surrounding the town of Vulci.
Jf. dokumenter vedrørende emnet Thorvaldsen som antik-kender.
Alexander the Great’s Entry into Babylon (the Alexander Frieze), marble, Christiansborg Palace, cf. A503, cf. the related article Commission for Christiansborg Palace.
I.e.:
The Danish architect Christian Hansen.
This list of the Academy’s plaster casts of Thorvaldsen’s works has not been identified. See instead the article Commission for the Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.
The Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen i København had a large collection of plaster casts of Thorvaldsen’s works, cf. the article Commission for the Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.
Cf. letter dated 26.2.1833 from Christian (8.) Frederik to Thorvaldsen.
In a letter dated 26.2.1833, Christian (8.) Frederik asked Thorvaldsen to recommend H.W. Bissen to the Building Commission for Christiansborg Palace so that he would be given the task of executing the frieze for the great hall at Christiansborg Palace, cf. documents regarding the subject Christiansborg Palace, Great Hall.
The Danish sculptor H.W. Bissen, who worked in Rome until 1834.
I.e. in Rome.
The Norwegian painter Thomas Fearnley.
The Danish painter Wilhelm Bendz.
Wilhelm Bendz: Artists in the Evening at Finck’s Coffee House in Munich, 1832, B197.
Thorvaldsen’s residence at Charlottenborg, cf. the related article Thorvaldsen’s Residence, Studio and Museum in the Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.
Thorvaldsen was planning to go to Copenhagen in the autumn of 1832, but the journey was postponed several times and not begun until 5.8.1838. See documents regarding the subject Cancelled Journeys to Denmark.
The Danish King Frederik 6..