Bertel Thorvaldsen
Nysø
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Otto Reedtz-Thott
Gavnø
Udskrift: STI: / Hr: Baron Reedz Thott / til / Gavnøe.
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Nysøe den 5’ Jan.
1841.
S.T
Hr: Baron Reedz Thott!
Deres Høivelbaarenheds Skrivelse af 11te Dec:, hvor De forlanger de 200 Skudi tilbage betalte, som ere mig givet af Kammerjunker Bielke, som forskud paa een, af ham, hos mig bestilt Hebe, har sat mig i stor Forundring, og jeg kan derpaa ikke svare andet: end at Statyen staar i Rom, og saa snart Resten af den akkorderede Sum bliver mig udbetalt, skal den fullændt og staa til Tieneste, for den Comitionar i Rom, til hvem De ville overdrage Modtagelsen deraf; paa en tilbage betaling af Forskuddet indlader jeg mig ikke, og kan jeg ikke nægte at Deres Fordring høiligen har forundret mig. Det er første Gang, i[ ]mit lange Kunstner Liv, at et saadant Forlangende er giort mig, naar en Billedhugger modtager en Bestilling, bliver han sat i bekostninger, som Forskudet tiener til Sikkerhed for, naar man skulde støde paa usolide Personer, der naar de forlader Rom glemmer Betalingen, og lader Kunstneren i Stikken, hvilket jo nu med Dem er tilfældet; og som jeg stundom har oplevet, men da har Bestilleren troet sig heldig, med at slippe med Tabet af Forskuddet, da han væl vi[d]ste, at jeg kunde have tvunget ham til heele den akkorderte Sums Udbetaling.
Hvis Brevets Slutning skal være en Trussel om Proces, da kan det ikke have anden Virkning en at forøge det Eiendommelige ved denne Skrivelse, der i saa Henseende adskiller sig fra alle de høflige Breve, jeg har modtaget i mit Hiem; —
Alberto Thorvaldsen
Nysoe, January 5th
1841
S.T
Baron Reedz Thott,
Your lordship’s letter of December 11th in which you demand the 200 Scudi returned, which have been paid in advance to me for a Hebe commissioned from me by Sir Bjelke, Lord in waiting, has much surprised me and I can only reply that the statue is in Rome, and as soon as the rest of the agreed sum is paid to me, it shall, finished, be at the disposal of the commissar in Rome, to whom you will assign the receipt. I do not enter upon a return of the advance and I cannot deny that your demand has highly astonished me. It is the first time in my long life as an artist that such a demand has been made to me. When a sculptor accepts a commission, he is put to expenses, which the advance serves to secure him against, if he should come up against unreliable persons, who forget the payment when they leave Rome and leave the artist in a lurch, which is now the case with you; and which I have experienced now and then, but in such cases the commissioning person has believed himself lucky to get off with the loss of the advance, as he knew very well that I might have made him pay the whole sum agreed upon.
If the end of the letter is to be a threat to sue me, it can have no other effect but to increase the curious thing about this letter, which as far as that goes differs from all the civil letters I have received at my home; —
Alberto Thorvaldsen
[Translated by Karen Husum]
Christine Stampe
Last updated 23.05.2016
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