Bertel Thorvaldsen
Rom
Rødt laksegl: Thorvaldsens eget segl, buste på termefod, påskrift f.o.: [T]HORVALDSEN
Poststempler: ROMA og HAMBOURG B.G.D. 5 Mars 1807
C.F. Hansen
Altona
Udskrift: A Monsieur Monsieur Hansen architecte de la Cour et proffesseur / de l’academie des Beaux-arts a / Copenhague par Hambourg / à Altona / Franca TrentoI
Dateringen fremgår af brevet.
Thorvaldsen suggests subjects from Greek mythology for the reliefs for the Christiansborg Palace façade. He regrets that the statues of Solon and Lycurgus for the Copenhagen city hall and courthouse will not be made in marble. For the medallions and the pediment, he suggests subjects related to legislation. He cannot begin the work until he receives an advance although he has ordered marble for the Christiansborg medallions.
Rom d 16de Febrarj 1807
Jeg har modtaget Hr Professorens meget ærede Skrivelse af 31de DecembrII angaaende de Arbejder til det Kongelige SlotIII og RaadhuusIV som De med den Høye CommissionV behager at værdige mig –
Det er mig saare smigrende at Valget af Sysetterne overlades til mig selvVI – for at opfylde den Høye Commissions Forlangende med Allegoriske Sysetter i MedaillionerneVII til Slottes mener jeg at gjøre Brug af den Græske Mytologie, saa som samme er den mest cultiverde og følgelig den værdigste for KonstenVIII –
Jeg beklager blot at den smukke Idee med de tvende ærværdige LovgivereIX saa caracteristiske Figurer og smukke Custymer, dertil saa heldigen anbragte ikke skal udføres i MarmorX. I MedaillionerneXI over disse tænkker jeg at være passende at caracterisere en hvers Love. Og i FrontespitsenXII et Sysjet som giver Idee om den udøvende Lovgivning – Disse Ting til RaadhuusetXIII skal jeg efter Forlangende gjøre Modellerne til, og fremdeles med Fornøyelse begynde paa disse Arbejder saa snar den høye Commission sætter mig i Stand der til ved snarest mulig at forstrække mig med ForskudXIV – Thi der bøer strax forlanges Marmor da det er ofte meget vanskelig at bekomme; Til et hver basreljef Udførelse behøves en Mand daglig; Og skal jeg opfylde den høye Commissions Forlangende saa ufortøvetXV at begynde disse Ting nødsages jeg til at levne Tiid fra mine bestilte ArbejderXVI hvis fulde Betaling jeg ikke hæver før Samme ere fuldendte – De seer følgelig heraf: at det ikke er mig mulig paa andre Vilkaar at begynde paa de forlangte Arbejder: end at den høye Commission bestemmer her hos en Banquer omtrendt et tusende Piaster hvoraf jeg kan hæve lit efter lit for ikke ved tabet af Breve eller V[e]xelXVII at blive opholdet i Arbejdet.
Jeg anbefaler mig her ved Her Professorens Venskab og den høye Commissions Bevaagenhed; da jeg er fuldkommen overbevist om at De indseer at jeg med den beste VilligeXVIII til at giøre alt muligt for min Konge og mit Fædreneland ikke er i Stand til paa anden Maade at see dette mit kiæreste Ønske opfyldtXIX –
Til behagelig Efterretning lader jeg her med Hr Professoren viide at jeg allerede til de forlangte Ba[srelje]fer til Slottet haver bestilt Marmor paa det a[t ikke]XX Mangel af samme skulde forhindre mig at opfylde Der[es] Ønsker – Deres ærbødige beredvillige
Tiener
B. Thorvaldsen
Rome, February 16th 1807
I have received the professor’s favour of December 31st concerning the works for the royal palace and town hall which it pleases you with the high commission to vouchsafe me –
It is very flattering that the choice of subjects is left to me – to meet the demands of the high commission for allegoric subjects in the medallions for the palace I intend to make use of the Greek mythology, as this is the most cultured and consequently the most deserving for art – I only regret that the beautiful idea about the two venerable legislators so characteristic figures and beautiful dresses besides being very well placed are not to be carried out in marble. In the medallions above these I think it will be appropriate to characterize everyone’s laws. And in the pediment a subject which suggests the executive power – According to request I shall make the models for these items for the town hall, and still with pleasure I shall begin these works as soon as the high commission enables me to by advancing me some money – for marble should be demanded immediately as it is often rather difficult to get; for the carrying out of each bas-relief one man is needed daily; and if I must meet the demand of the high commission to begin these works without delay I am obliged to take time from my commissioned works the full payment of which I do not draw until they have been finished – so you see from this: that it is not possible for me on other conditions to start the works demanded: than the high commission decides here at a banker about one thousand piaster from which I can draw little by little in order not to be detained in my work by loss of letters or bills of exchange.
I sincerely commend myself at the professor’s friendship and the good graces of the high commission; as I am completely convinced that you realize that with the best will to do everything possible for my King and my native land I am not able to see this my dearest wish fulfilled in any other way –
As a favourable piece of news I hereby inform the professor that for the commissioned bas-reliefs for the palace I have already ordered marble so that want of this should [not] prevent me from fulfilling your wishes – your humble and willing
servant,
B. Thorvaldsen
[Translated by Karen Husum]
This is Thorvaldsen’s answer to the first commission of works from the Danish state, which C.F. Hansen had transmitted in his letter of 31.12.1806.
There exists a draft of this letter. There are only minor differences between the draft and the letter – only where Thorvaldsen asks for an advance of 1000 piastres, does he make greater demands and express himself a little more directly in the draft. Here he asks for “one thousand [piastres] annually, for current expenses, and that a banker be ordered to pay for marble when I demand it”. As can be seen above, he does not demand 1000 piastres every year and and chooses a softer wording as regards payment.
However, the letter is still generally characterized by Thorvaldsen’s artistic self-confidence. He does not offer even a word of thanks for the otherwise prestigious tasks that C.F. Hansen has given him, and by referring to his other commissions, he treats the Danish state like any other client. However, he is willing to move Denmark to the front of the queue of commissions if – and only if – he receives a considerable advance.
Thiele II, p. 73 thinks that the explanation of Thorvaldsen’s reaction was that the commissions were not as he “had had reason to expect”, see more about this in the Commission for Christiansborg Palace.
The letter was not part of Thiele’s original discovery of letters (see the History of the Archives). It was not acquired for Thorvaldsens Museum until 1876, cf. jour.no 6a 797/1876 and 807/1876.
Bottom left, the letter has the journal number Litr A no 461 of the Building Commission for Christiansborg Palace.
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Hebe skænker Herkules udødelighedens drik, Antagelig november 1808, inv.nr. A317 |
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Hygieia giver næring til Æskulaps slange, Antagelig november 1808, inv.nr. A318 |
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Minerva giver sjæl til menneske skabt af Prometheus, 1807 - 1808, inv.nr. A319 |
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Nemesis læser menneskenes gerninger højt for Jupiter, 1810, inv.nr. A320 |
Last updated 04.03.2016
Dvs. Franco Trento, hvilket ville sige, at portoen var betalt indtil grænsebyen Trento beliggende i provinsen Trentino i det nuværende Norditalien syd for Brennerpasset.
See Hansen’s letter of 31.12.1806.
I.e. C.F. Hansen’s Christiansborg Palace, which was being reconstructed. The palace was completed in 1828.
See more about the works Hansen commissioned from Thorvaldsen, in the Commission for Christiansborg Palace.
I.e. C.F. Hansen’s town hall and courthouse on Nytorv in Copenhagen, today only a courthouse. The building was completed in 1817.
The works Hansen commissioned for the courthouse in his letter were not realized, see more about the project in the Commission for the Copenhagen Town Hall and Courthouse.
I.e. the Building Commission for Christiansborg Palace, which was in charge of the construction of both buildings.
Hansen had given Thorvaldsen a relatively free hand with regard to the choice of subjects – yet within the general framework of the task:
The four reliefs commissioned for Christiansborg were to be allegories of Strength, Truth (= Sandhed, which Thorvaldsen read as Sundhed = Health), Justice, and Wisdom, but it was up to Thorvaldsen to decide precisely how.
While the relief for the pediment of the courthouse merely had to be “appropriate”, Hansen did not specify the other two reliefs.
This degree of freedom in the artistic decoration of public buildings was presumably quite uncommon in the absolute monarchy of Denmark.
See also the subject heading Artistic Freedom.
I.e. the four allegorical reliefs that Thorvaldsen excuted for the façade of Christiansborg Palace:
Justice: Nemesis and Jupiter, cf. A320,
Health: Hygieia and Aesculapius, cf. A318,
Wisdom: Minerva and Prometheus, cf. A319,
Strenght: Hercules and Hebe, cf. A317.
This statement is almost like an artistic creed for Thorvaldsen. The idea of Greek antique art and Greek mythology as the highest artistic ideal and its essential embodiment was not just Thorvaldsen’s. It is a fundamental neoclassical idea from Johann Joachim Winckelmann and on.
As a result of the precedence of Greek mythological subjects, Thorvaldsen did not often use subjects from Norse mythology. See more about this in Norse Mythology.
I.e. the statues of Solon and Lycurgus, which Hansen commissioned for the courthouse façade, see his letter of 31.12.1806.
The Athenian statesman Solon (ca 638 – ca 560 BC) was called one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece and is known for the quotation: Nothing in excess.
Lycurgus appears to have been a historical figure in the 700s BC and was known for his Spartan legislation.
See more about the statues in the Commission for the Copenhagen Town Hall and Courthouse.
Neither of the two statues was made, most likely because of the objection Thorvaldsen raises here: He wanted to execute them in marble, Hansen in another material in order to make the statues cheaper.
The empty niches intended for the statues are still seen on the façade of the courthouse today.
I.e. two round reliefs also intended for the courthouse façade. These medallions were never made either. Presumably, the explanation is again Hansen’s modest budget, see the Commission for the Copenhagen Town Hall and Courthouse.
The round panels where the medallions were to have been placed can still be seen today – empty – on the courthouse façade.
I.e. the courthouse pediment. Thorvaldsen never finished a relief for it. The pediment is empty today, but he did make the sketch Jupiter, Minerva and Nemesis, which in 1822 probably became A316. Instead, this sketch was used for the pediment on the façade of Christiansborg. See more about this in the Commission for Christiansborg Palace and the Commission for the Copenhagen Town Hall and Courthouse.
I.e. the town hall and courthouse on Nytorv in Copenhagen, today only a courthouse.
This advance was paid to Thorvaldsen, see communication of 16.5.1807 from the Building Commission for Christiansborg Palace and Hansen’s letter of 15.5.1807.
In his letter of 31.12.1806, Hansen had asked that the relief for the town hall pediment be executed first so that it could be put up before the scaffolding was removed.
At this time, Thorvaldsen was working on several commissions, among them the Baptismal Font til Brahetrolleborg Church, Otto Reedtz-Thott’s Commission 1806 of Hebe, possibly also Ropp’s Commission 1804-05, and the continued work on Hope’s Commission of Jason.
Regarding the use of bills of exchange for international money transfers, see Bills of Exchange.
Dvs. vilje. Stavefejlen er højst sandsynlig udslag af Thorvaldsens ordblindhed, se mere herom i Thorvaldsens tale- og skriftsprog
These patriotic remarks are more than just the mandatory cant to be expected for the occasion.
At this point in Thorvaldsen’s career, he had obtained the permission of the Danish state to stay in Rome if he executed some commissions for Denmark.
See more about the relation between the sculptor’s personal freedom and his obligation to his native country in A Free Man. Thorvaldsen’s Continuance in Rome.
A small piece of the paper has been torn off.