Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Charlotte Schimmelmann
København
Dateringen skyldes et udkast dateret 4.2.1809 med tilsvarende indhold.
Thorvaldsen is grateful for the precious agraffe that Schimmelmann has sent him through her brother, Herman Schubart. He hopes that the baptismal font, cf. A555,1, A555,2, A555,3, A555,4, which she has commissioned will please her, and that the beauty of his work will make him worthy of her protection.
Naadigste Grevinde!
Ved Deres fortreffelige Broder S.T. Kammerherre de SI har ieg fra Deres E:II med sand Fornøyelse modtaget en Brystnaal med BrillanterIII, hvilken ieg anseer som et Agtelses=Tegn ieg er værdiget at bære formedelst den Yndest og Bevaagenhed ieg ved at fremvandre paa Konstens Bane stedse bestræber mig at fortiene; Thi haaber ieg at naar Deres E: en gang i FædrenelandetIV tager mit Arbeide: den forlangte DøbesteenV i naadigst Beskuelse, vil De erfare at samme er udført med Konst og Flid, at ieg ingen Møye haver sparet, for at kunde smigre mig af Deres E: naadige BifaldVI, eller for at være paa en værdig Maade anbefalet Konsternes og Videnskabernes BeskytterindeVII –
Jeg anbefaler mig med dybeste Ærbødighed Deres E underdanigste –
Gracious Countess,
Through your excellent brother S.T. Schubart , chamberlain, I have from Your Excellency with true pleasure received an agraffe with brilliants, which I consider a token of respect which I am vouchsafed to carry on account of the approval and favour by wandering on the course of art I ever strive to deserve; for I hope that once Your Excellency in our native land will take my work: the commissioned font into gracious contemplation, you will see that the same has been executed with art and diligence, that I have spared no energy to be able to indulge in the gracious approval of Your Excellency or to be recommended in a respectful way to the patroness of art and science –
I remain with the deepest respect Your Excellency’s most humble servant
[Translated by Karen Husum]
In the top right-hand corner of the paper there is an illegible, smudged text, possibly the date of the draft.
There are two more drafts of 4.2.1809 and 4.2.1809 to Charlotte Schimmelmann. See the first of these for further comments on the contents of the drafts.
This draft seems to be later than the former as it consists almost entirely of unselfish praise. The former, on the other hand, contains a reproof that the countess has expressed her enthusiasm for the baptismal font without having seen it as well as a repetition of the price of the font which he had already mentioned to her in letter of 22.10.1808. Furthermore, it was perhaps made a little too clear in the former draft that he had only charged half his normal fee for the baptismal font.
Thiele II, p. 114, supports this assumption.
See also the related article for more details on Thorvaldsen’s Works, Fixing Prices.
C.F. Høyer
Last updated 27.10.2015
Baron Herman Schubart. S.T. stands for salvo titulo, which is Latin for “without title”. The expression is used when addressing letters to indicate that the title is unknown or considered unnecessary.
Kort for Excellence.
This precious agraffe (i.e. a pin or a clasp for clothing) is referred to as a “trifle” in Schimmelmann’s letter of 17.11.1808 and was a manifestation of Schimmelmann’s gratitude that Thorvaldsen would accept no other payment for the baptismal font, A555,1, A555,2, A555,3, A555,4, than the cost of the materials, wages, and transport, see Thorvaldsen’s draft of 22.10.1808.
That it was an agraffe appears from Schubart’s letter of 26.12.1808, in which he reports Schimmelmann’s reaction to Thorvaldsen’s letter of 22.10.1808. The clasp is also mentioned in Schubart’s letter of 13.1.1809.
The baptismal font in marble, cf. A555,1, A555,2, A555,3, A555,4, did not come to Denmark until 1815. It was consecrated 2.11.1817 in Brahetrolleborg Church in Funen, for which it had been commissioned, i.e. the consecration took place exactly 13 years after the commission (in letter of 2.11.1804 from Schubart to Thorvaldsen). Regarding the consecration of the font, see letter of 13.12.1817 from Count Ditlev Reventlow. See also the related article about the Baptismal Font for a comprehensive account of the matter.
The baptismal font in marble, cf. A555,1, A555,2, A555,3, A555,4, did not come to Denmark until 1815. It was consecrated 2.11.1817 in Brahetrolleborg Church in Funen, for which it had been commissioned, i.e. the consecration took place exactly 13 years after the commission (in letter of 2.11.1804 from Schubart to Thorvaldsen). Regarding the consecration of the font, see letter of 13.12.1817 from Count Ditlev Reventlow. See also the related article about the Baptismal Font for a comprehensive account of the matter.
Thorvaldsen had benefitted from the Schimmelmanns’ approval and favour before: In a letter of 26.7.1805, Herman Schubart told Thorvaldsen that the countess was probably partly responsible for Thorvaldsen’s appointment as professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1805. On 31.12.1806, Thorvaldsen had also received a commission from C.F. Hansen for four reliefs for the façade of Christiansborg Palace, which was being rebuilt during these years after the fire in 1794. On 22.4.1809 – i.e. after Thorvaldsen’s letter to Countess Schimmelmann had arrived in Copenhagen – the Building Commission for Christiansborg further requested offers for four statues for the façade. Thorvaldsen’s partial gift to the influential family has probably had the effect that the building commission for Christiansborg made inquiries about the four statues besides the reliefs; for more about this, see the related article about Thorvaldsen’s works for Christiansborg.
This assumption is supported by Countess Schimmelmann’s own words in a letter to Herman Schubart, which were reported to Thorvaldsen in Schubart’s letter of 26.12.1808: “My husband and I rightly recognize his noble gesture towards us. Count Christian Reventlow assured me yesterday that they are using him and are going to use him even more for our reborn palace [i.e. Christiansborg Palace]. He will be given great statues to execute, bas-reliefs and more; and you, my dear brother, may rely on Reventlow’s enthusiasm for your friend Thorwaldsen, in whom Hansen also takes a great interest. This artist certainly deserves the gratitude of his country [...]”.
This complimentary epithet refers to Charlotte Schimmelmann’s strong commitment to the cultural life of the time, see her biography for more information about this.