The Thorvaldsens Museum Archives

An Open Archive of Written Sources

Explore 10248 documents – from contracts to love letters – by and about the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). Scans and transcripts of all the documents are available, as well as other texts about Thorvaldsen’s work, life, and international context.

Use the Archives as you see fit.

Read more here

Beyond Clichés

When it comes to Thorvaldsen, myths and clichés abound. The Archives allows you to (re)read the sources critically, and interpret them afresh!

By the Numbers

  • 10.248 Documents total
  • 8.260 In Thorvaldsens Museum
  • 1.988 In other archives
  • 1771-72 Oldest
  • 1896 (1841-42) Youngest
  • 767 From Thorvaldsen
  • 5.842 To Thorvaldsen
  • 3.639 To and from others
  • 3.375 In Italian
  • 4.252 In Danish
  • 1.816 In German
  • 656 In French
  • 95 In English
  • 54 Other languages
  • 45.703 Commentaries
  • 470 Related Articles
  • 420 Subjects
  • 3.230 Persons

Find Thorvaldsen's Sculptures in the Archives

Selected Documents

  • 19.10.1805

    Abildgaard is sympathetic to the idea that Thor...

  • 14.3.1843

    Panum offers Thorvaldsen two paintings by Jens ...

Aug

14

On this Day

  • 14.8.1819
    Arrives at Schaffhausen and spends the night at the inn Krone. Sees the waterfalls of the Rhine.
    • More