C.W. Eckersberg
Rom
J.F. Clemens
København
Dateringen fremgår af dokumentet.
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2. Januar 1816
Gode Herr. Clemens
Mit Ønske er ret inderligen at dette Brev, leedsaget med mine bedste Lykønskninger for Dem og Deres kjære Famillie til et lyksaligt og Fornøyet Nytaar maae finde Dem alle ved bedste Helbred og Velgaaende. De vil haaber jeg rigtigen have bekomet mit sidste af 2. nov. hvori jeg underrettede Dem om Vexelens rigtige Imodtagelse og et og andet meer, og efter i samme givet Løfte, skriver jeg Dem her igien unden at oppebie Deres neste Brev, som nu formodentligen paa samme Tid vil afgaae som dette. I gaar d. 1 Jan. bekom jeg et Brev fra Akademiet, hvori der sagtes mig kort og godt at den mig af Akademiet bestemte Tid nu var udløben, og at Akademiet med Hensyn til min Tilbagereise, har bevilliget mig et Halvtaars Forlængelse eller Tvende Quartalers Penger til Reisen, som skal mig udbetales paa eengang. Og at mine sidst hiemsendte Arbeider havde vundet Akademiets fulde Bifald, tant mieux, jeg har desuden for dennegang heller ikke følt stor tilbøyelighed til at forlange Prolongation – Nu haaber jeg kun at kunde giøre Tilbagereisen til det kjære Fødeland i Selskab med vores Agtværdige Hr. ThorvaldsenI, som, efter fordeelagtige Indbydelser, (Breve fra høyere Vedkommende vendter han hver Dag) har besluttet at reise til Dannemark til Foraaret, vores Hr. Malling har været meeget virksom med at sætte dette iværk og jeg hører, at der er kun ret almindeligt Ønske derhieme, at see denne udmærkede Konstner, mig vil det være usigeligt kjært, saavel for ham som for os alle og haaber at De gode Hr. Clemens vil have Fornøyelse af at lære at kjænde ham der er ligesaa elskværdig Menneske som Konstner. Hr. Malling hvilken jeg beeder meeget hilset, vil De vel alt efter hans Hiemkomst have seet, som og Dhr. Hetsch og Capt. v. Huth, denne sidste ved jeg har bekommet sit Brev, jeg sendte til Dem, hvorfor jeg takker Dem meeget. Hr. Hetsch skal jo ogsaa alt have faaet en Bestilling ved AkademietII. Nu vilde jeg beede Dem gode Hr. Clemens at hilse meeget Hr. Nathanson, at det af ham bestilte store Maleri, Israelliternes Overgang over det røde Hav, er færdigt og at han snart for at benytte første gunstige Lejlighed, vilde give mig en Adresse til et Huus i Livorno eller hvorsomhelst,
der kunde paatage sig Befordringen af samme, og tillige asicurere det, om Hr. Nathanson fandt det fornødent. Vi skulde dog haabe at vores Skibe engang skulde faa fri fart igien i Middelhavet for de Algierigske Søerøvere.
Ogsaa beeder jeg Dem at hilse H.E. Hr. G.R. v. Bulow, at jeg har fundet en Kilde til at kunde forskaffe ham om han ønskede, den kompletteste Samling, af skjøne Afstøbninger i Svovl af alle Antik Medailler og Myndt man kjender (det vil sige Romerske). Aftrykkene ere skjøne, og selv Farverne af det gamle Metal, saa vel imiteret, at det synes at være virkelige Antike Medallier. Men førend jeg har indladt mig med at kjøbe noget, finder jeg fornødent da jeg ikke forstaar mig paa den Ting at sende hermed Indlagt en Fortegnelse over disse Ting, som Hr. Visconti som sælger dem har givet mig, skulde hans Exelence ikke forstaae Italiensk vil De vel i Kjøbenhavn finde nogen der kan oversætte det. Endeel af de Antike Romerske Myndter som dem især af de tolv Keisere, kan synes mig ikke være saa meeget sjældne, at man ikke ogsaa skulde have dem hos os, skulde derfor H.E. ønske at have dem enkelt særskildt udvalgt, da maatte han omtrendt henvise mig paa det der kunde passe til hans System. En Zechin udgør 2 Romerske Scudi, som nok vil være omtrent 2 Specier Holstensk. Alt hvad der vil overgaae 3 eller 4 Zechiner ønskede jeg Hans Exelence vilde sende mig Penger til. Saasnart De nu giver mig Efterretning om H.E. Ønske, skal jeg strax kjøbe disse Ting, og selv tage dem med mig i Kufferten. Nu havde jeg end et Ønske, for ikke at komme til kort paa Reisen, om vi skulde opholde nogensteds undervais, og at det jeg faar af Akademiet vel ikke vil være tilstrækkeligt, at Hr. Nathanson vilde lade mig tilkome et halvandet hundrede Specier, til afdrag paa sit Malerie forstaar sig, med disse og 400 Franc, jeg allerede af ham har bekomet vil den største deel derfore nesten være afbetalt, jeg overlader ham det for 450 Species. Vilde De nu gode Hr. Clemens have den Godhed, at tale et Ord for mig til Hr. Nathanson des angaaende, og beede ham beviise mig denne Tjeneste, kjert var det mig om den Sum endnu kunde blive mig remiteret ved et aabendt Creditbrev, hvorpaa jeg kunde hæve i Venedig, Wien, Dresden, eller saadane Stæder som vi sandsynligen Passerer, men hvorover jeg i mit neste Brev nøyere skal Underrette Dem. Dette var nu det væssenligste jeg havde at underrette Dem om dennegang.
Foresten har jeg kun lidet Konstnyt dennegang: Hr. Camuncini har malet Pavens PortraitIII, som giør meegen Opsigt, denne Konstner kan man ikke nægte et stort Talent, men jeg synes han begynder meer og meer at falde i det Maniereerte, men han er vidst den første af Romerske Konstnere som Historiemaler. De tydske Katholske Malere siger om dette Portrait »das ist doch gar unter aller Kritik« men at disse Herrer dommer saaledes, er naturligt, da Deres Maade at giøre Malerier paa er (lige) saa forskjellig fra dennes som to hinanden imodtsatte Extremer. Hr. SchadowIV i Berlin har to Sønner her, som boer i Huus sammen med os, een er Billedhugger og en anden Maler, begge har de Talent, Maleren som ogsaa har ladet sig giøre Katholsk, og er een af Albert Dürrers strænge Tilbeedere, har nyelige giørt et meeget smukt Malerie, Portraiterne af sig selv, broderen og Hr. ThorvaldsenV, som ere overmaade lignende, og meeget skjøndt og med meegen Fliid udført, som giør ham meegen Ære, det eneste forekomer mig at det er lidt for Tyskt, det vil sige tørt i foredraget. Vores Hr. Thorv. har i denne Tid havt meeget at bestille med at giøre Buster, han har paa en Tid af et Par Maaneder ikke giordt mindre end Sex, han giør et saadant Portrait med en ubeskrivelig Lethed, og veed at udtrykke Characteren og Ligheden paa saa skjøn og behagelig Maade at det virkelig er til at beundre. Hidtil har Hr. Thorv. Værker kun blot været stukne i Contourer, og det just ikke med det bedste, men nu har han ladet alle Basreliefer og Statuer tegne paa nye af de dueligste Tegnere, og endeel allerede stukne, smukt skyggede i en let Maneer, saa at man der kan faae en Samling, der kan give en bedre Idee om dennes fortreffelige Arbeider. Jeg skal bringe Dem et Exemplar med, min Ven Clemens, af alt som til den Tid maa blive færdigt.
Nu er vel ogsaa den Tid udløben i hvilken Hr. E.R. Berner betaler til min lille Søns Underhold, og vilde han endnu vedblive, indtil jeg kommer hjem, paa den Betingelse at jeg giver ham et Malerie, eller et Par (det vil sige: Prospecter her af Rom) vilde det være mig usigeligt kjært. Vilde De gode Hr. Clemens hilse ham paa det forbindtligste fra mig, om han vilde indgaae dette Forslag. Jeg længes ogsaa i den Henseende meeget efter at komme Hjem, blot for at faae Reede i mine Affairer, og at faae engang min Gjæld afbetalt, det er mig saa ubehageligt saaleedes at leve ligesom paa anderes Bekostninger, og saa ofte at falde besværligt, som dog neppe kan undgaaes, naar man ikke har andet end det man skal have hjeme fra. Men jeg har desværre intet andet at tage med mig hjem, end nogle Esquisser af Prospecter af Rom.
Jeg vendter nu alldeeles ikke noget stort naar jeg kommer hjem, og forlanger alldeeles intet, hverken af den ene eller den anden, men der, veed jeg, vil jeg kunde have den fornøyelse at blive ofte besøgt af een og anden god Ven som vil Deeltage i det lidet jeg har lært at giøre, og der vil maaskee ogsaa een og anden imellem give mig en liden Bestilling, ligesom førend jeg reiste og dette vil være mig meere Opmuntring og giøre mig meere lykkelig i det mindste end al lærdt Resonement af store Artister, thi: was Hänschen nicht lernt lernt Hans nimmer. Jeg finder ingen Lyksalighed i at leve uden Sorger paa et Sted som Rom, og tillige leve saa Isoleret og uden all Forbindelse med noget andet Meneske som man maae leve her, paa den Maade har Kunsten selv ingen Interesse for mig –.
Hr. Thorvaldsen lader sig ogsaa for nærværende Tid bygge og indrette et meeget smukt og rummeligt AtelierVI, bestaaende af 3 særskildte bygninger, omkring en liden Have med Springvand i, som kan blive ligesaa smukt som bequemt, og hvor alle hans skjøne Mesterværker kan blive fordeelagtigen opstillede, i deres rette Belysning.
January 2nd 1816
Good Mr Clemens,
My sincere wish is that this letter with my best wishes for you and your dear family for a happy and pleasant New Year may find you all well and healthy. I hope you will duly have received my last letter of November 2nd in which I informed you of the receipt of the bill and of some other things and according to the promise in it I now write to you again without waiting for your next letter, which presumably will be sent at the same time as this. Yesterday on January 1st I received a letter from the Academy in which I was briefly told that the time allotted to me by the Academy had now come to an end and that the Academy as regards my return journey has granted me six months’ prolongation or money for two quarters for the journey, which must be paid out to me in full settlement. And that my latest works which I have sent home have met with the full approval of the Academy, tant mieux, besides, I have for this time not felt inclined to wish for prolongation. Now I only hope to be able to make the journey home to the dear native country in the company of our esteemed Mr Thorvaldsen, who according to attractive invitations (letters from higher quarters are expected by him every day) has decided to go to Denmark in spring. Our Mr Malling has taken an active part in carrying this out and I am told that it is a general wish at home to see this excellent artist. I should be very happy for him and for us all and I hope that you, good Mr Clemens, will have the pleasure to get to know him who is just as kind a person as he is a good artist. I suppose you have seen Mr Malling after he has arrived home, please give him my regards, and that you have seen messrs. Hetsch and Captain v. Huth, I know the latter has received his letter, which I sent to you for which I thank you much. I have also heard that Mr Hetsch has become employed at the Academy. Now I beg you, good Mr Clemens, to give my sincere regards to Mr Nathanson and tell him that the large painting he has commissioned, the Crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites, has been finished, and to make use of the first opportunity will he please give me an address of a house in Leghorn or anywhere, which will be able to undertake the transport of this as well as insure it, if Mr Nathanson finds it necessary. We must hope that our ships in the Mediterranean again will be able to sail clear of Algerian pirates.
I also beg you to give my regards to His Excellency Mr G.R. v. Bulow and tell him that I have found a source which, if he so wishes, can procure for him a complete collection of beautiful casts in sulphur of all known antique medals and coins (that is to say Roman). The casts are beautiful and even the colours of the old metal are so well imitated that they seem to be genuine antique medals. But before I have engaged in buying anything, because I have no knowledge of this, I find it necessary to send enclosed here an index of these things which Mr Visconti who sells them has given to me; if His Excellency should not understand Italian I suppose you can find someone in Copenhagen who can translate it. Some of the antique Roman coins such as especially the ones of the twelve emperors do not seem to me to be so very rare that we do not also have them, so if His Excellency should wish to have them separately selected he would have to refer me to that which might fit his system. One Zechin makes 2 Roman Scudi which will be about 2 Holstein Species. All that will surpass 3 or 4 Zechines I wish His Excellency to send me money for. As soon as you give me information about His Excellency’s wish I shall immediately buy these things and take them with me in my suitcase. Now I have one more wish. In order not to come down during the journey, if we should be detained somewhere on our way and that what I get from the Academy will not be sufficient I wish that Mr Nathanson will send me 150 Species as part-payment of his painting of course; with this and the 400 Francs I have already received from him the largest part will almost be paid off, I shall let him have it for 450 Species. Would you, good Mr Clemens, be so kind as to speak on my behalf to Mr Nathanson about this, and ask him to do me this favour. I should be happy if the sum could be sent to me by an open letter credit, on which I could draw in Venice, Vienna, Dresden, or such places which we are likely to pass, but about which I shall inform you more precisely in my next letter. These were the essential things I had to inform you about this time.
As a matter of fact I have only little news about art this time: Mr Camuncini has painted a portrait of the Pope which attracts much attention, one cannot deny that this artist has talent, but I find that he is beginning to be more mannered, however, he is the first that comes along as a historical painter among Roman artists. The German Catholic painters say about this portrait, “das ist doch gar unter aller Kritik”, but it is natural that these gentlemen judge like this, as their way of making paintings is just as different from his as two opposite extremes. Mr Schadow in Berlin has two sons here who live in our house, one is a sculptor and the other a painter, both are talented. The painter, who has also become a Catholic and is one of the strict admirers of Albrecht Dürer, has recently made a very beautiful painting, the portraits of himself, his brother, and Mr Thorvaldsen which are extremely like them, beautifully and diligently made, which does him credit; I only think that it is rather German, which means somewhat dry in the execution. Our Mr Thorvaldsen has much to do these days making busts. In a couple of months he has made no less than six, he makes such a portrait with effortless ease and by expressing the character and the resemblance in such a beautiful and pleasant way that it must be admired. So far Mr Thorvaldsen’s works have only been engraved in outlines, and not with the best, but now he has had all bas-reliefs and statues drawn again by the most competent artists, and part of them have already been engraved, beautifully shaded in an easy manner, so that it is possible to get a collection, which can give a better idea of his excellent works. My good friend Clemens, I shall bring you a copy of all that may be finished then.
Now I think the time has come to an end when Mr E.R. Berner pays support for my little son and I should be happy if he will continue until I come home if I give him a painting or a couple (that is: prospects here from Rome).Would you, good Mr Clemens, remember me to him most obligingly to hear whether he would accept this proposal. Also in that respect I long to get home to get my affairs straight and to have paid off all my debts, it is rather unpleasant to me to live like this, as if at the expense of others and so often put others to trouble, which can hardly be avoided, when you have nothing but what you get from home. But I am afraid I have nothing to take home but some sketches of prospects of Rome.
I certainly do not expect anything great, when I return and demand absolutely nothing, neither from one or the other, but there I know I shall have the pleasure to have visits often by some good friend who will share in what little I have learnt to do, and there I might also from time to time be commissioned to paint by some, just as before I left and this will encourage me more and make me happier at least than all learned reasoning by great artists for: was Hänschen nicht lernt lernt Hans nimmer. I find no bliss in living without cares in a place like Rome, and in addition to live very isolated and without any relations to others as is the way here, this way art in itself does not matter to me. –
At present Mr Thorvaldsen also has a very beautiful and spacious studio built for himself, it consists of 3 detached buildings around a small garden with a fountain, which may become as beautiful as it is convenient and where all his lovely masterpieces may be exhibited attractively in the correct light.
[Translated by Karen Husum]
Dette er et et udkast til et afsendt brev. Udkastet er skrevet af efter den trykte afskrift i Bramsen & Ragn Jensen, op. cit.
Last updated 20.03.2017
Thorvaldsens tilbagerejse til Danmark er et tilbagevendende emne i brevene mellem kunstnere i Rom og i København i de første årtier af 19. årh. Først 14.7.1819 rejste Thorvaldsen fra Rom med kurs mod Danmark.
Den dansk-tyske arkitekt G.F. Hetsch blev i 1815 udnævnt til informator ved Kunstakademiets arkitekskole.
Portrættet af Pius 7. er antagelig det i 1814 af Prins Friedrich von Gotha bestilte eksemplar. En anden version eller en gentagelse(?) findes i Pinacoteca di Cesena.
Den tyske billedhugger Johann Gottfried Schadow og hans to sønner, der nævnes i det følgende: Billedhuggeren Rudolf Schadow og maleren Wilhelm Schadow.
Wilhelm Schadow mit seinem Bruder Rudolf und Thorvaldsen, olie, 91,5×117,5 cm. National Galerie, Berlin.
Der er tale om Thorvaldsen værkstedskompleks i Vicolo delle Colonnette, en mindre gade lige ved Piazza Barberini, jf. artiklen om Thorvaldsens værksteder og specifikt Thorvaldsens små værksteder ved Piazza Barberini. Thorvaldsen havde 14.11.1815 netop tegnet kontrakt for lejen af værkstederne og deres ombygning.