The museum seen from the outside
Thorvaldsen's Museum is located in the centre of Copenhagen.
The museum is housed in a former a garage for royal carriages.
The building was converted into a museum during the years 1839-1848. The man in charge of the project was architect Michael Gottlieb Birckner Bindesbøll (1800-1856).
The square in front of the museum is named after the famous artist.
Thorvaldsen, who was born in 1770, lived in Rome for more than forty years and returned to Denmark in 1838. Construction of the museum began in the following year. Thorvaldsen followed the work. But he died in 1844, so he did not live long enough to see the completed museum which opened in 1848.
On the roof of the building there is a victory monument: the goddess of victory riding in a quadriga, a carriage that is pulled by four horses. This monument was created for the museum by H. W. Bissen (1798-1868), who had worked as an apprentice of Thorvaldsen in Italy.
The entrance to the museum. Three of the four external walls are decorated by a frieze created by the Danish painter Jørgen Sonne (1801-1890). The work began in 1846. It was not completed when the museum opened in 1848. The frieze was completed in 1850. Each wall has its own topic.
SECTION 1
The short eastern wall facing the church (Christiansborg Slotskirke). The work on this section, which comprises panels 23-29, took place 1849-1850. Thorvaldsen's monuments are being moved from the frigate Rota to a barge and then onto dry land. Panels 23 and 24 show the frigate Rota.
Panel 25: a huge crate is being moved from the frigate to a barge.
Panel 25: a huge crate is being moved from the frigate to a barge.
Panels 26 and 27: several crates are on the barge in front of the frigate.
Panels 28 and 29: the barge is loaded with several crates. One crate is being dragged on dry land. This is the end of section 1. From this wall we can go left to the southern wall or right to the northern wall. Let us go left first.
SECTION 2
The long southern wall facing Parliament (Christiansborg Slot). The work on this section, which comprises panels 30-50, took place 1846-1847. The crates are unpacked and carried into the museum. The operation is difficult, and not everything is going smoothly.
Panel 30A: the crates are labeled with two letters (AT) and a number. In Italy, Thorvaldsen's first name "Bertel" was transformed into "Alberto." Hence the abbreviation AT.
Panel 30: the first monument that we see is Ganymede with Jupiter's Eagle.
Panel 30A: the crates are labeled with two letters (AT) and a number. In Italy, Thorvaldsen's first name "Bertel" was transformed into "Alberto." Hence the abbreviation AT.
Panel 30: the first monument that we see is Ganymede with Jupiter's Eagle.
During more than forty years in Rome Thorvaldsen created numerous monuments. First he would make a plaster cast. Later he would make a second version in marble. When the marble version was sold, he kept the plaster cast. These are the monuments that were shipped back to Denmark and placed in the new museum. There is more: Thorvaldsen's donation to the city of Copenhagen also covered his library, his collection of paintings, and his collection of objects from ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome.
Panel 31: one worker carries a Greek vase, while another worker carries on his shoulder a stone relief which shows Cupid received by Anacreon. Panel 32: a statue of Princess Fjodorovna Baryatinskaya, a German woman who married a Russian prince. Panel 33: one worker carries a stone relief on his back, while another worker carries one item in each hand: a head of Oehlenschläger and a bust of Baroness C. Stampe (both of whom appear on the northern wall).
Big and small monuments are carried into the museum. Panel 33 is described above. Panel 34: a statue of a kneeling mother with a child. While most statues are looking to the left, this woman is looking to the right. The monument is carried on a stretcher, but the movement has stopped for a while. The right end of the stretcher is on the ground. Panel 35: a man and a women stops a worker who is carrying a stone relief. They ask him: "Can we have a look?" The relief shows Hector with Paris and Helen.
Panel 40: a statue of Pope Pius VII. The pope is not looking left or right. He is facing us. The movement has stopped for a moment while the workers discuss how to proceed. Meanwhile two boys are standing in front of the pope, talking about the monument. Panel 41: two workers are pulling the ropes. Panel 42: a statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. The statue is not moving, because the workers are taking a break. Panel 43: two workers are talking to a woman.
Panel 44: a statue of Byron is transported on a trolley by several workers. But the movement has stopped: a piece of cloth has become entangled in one of the wheels. Panel 45: two workers are holding the drawbar of the trolley. Panel 46: a statue of a Russian countess whose name is Yelizaveta Alexeyevna Osterman-Tolstoy.
In 1838, when the frigate arrived with Thorvaldsen and his monuments, the museum was not there. It was built from 1839 to 1848. In fact, Thorvaldsen's monuments were shipped to Denmark in several installments. Some of them arrived long before 1838, while the last shipment took place in 1842. When we see the monuments being moved straight from the frigate to the museum, it is a case of artistic license.
Panel 47: one worker carries a stone relief on his back, while another worker carries a bust in his hands. The bust shows an Italian artist, Rosa Taddei. This worker is looking back at the statue of the Russian countess in panel 46. Panel 48: a statue of an angel kneeling with a baptismal font. Once again the movement has stopped for a moment while the workers adjust the monument on the stretcher. Panel 49: a man is talking to a woman about the angel in panel 48.
Panel 50: a statue of a lion is being moved into the museum. It is the Lucerne Lion also known as the Dying Lion Protecting the Royal Arms of France. This monument is so huge and so heavy that it is placed on a trolley which is pulled by two horses. On the right we have three workers. In the centre (between the lion and the horses) we have two workers. On the left we have four persons: From the left J. F. Holm (1803-1877), chief of construction, G. M. Bindesbøll (1800-1856), chief architect, a foreman, and a worker.
Holm and Bindesbøll are three steps above the ground, the foreman with cap and jacket is two steps above the ground, while the worker is on the ground. The staircase serves as an illustration of the social and economic relations.
The interruption of the movement - a standstill - seems to be a topic on this wall. It occurs no less than six times: in panels 32, 34, 40, 42, 44, and 48. I think Bindesbøll is getting impatient. He says: "Why is this taking so long?" Holm stretches out his left arm and replies: "These monuments are very heavy and precious. We have to be very careful with them. Please be patient."
Panel 50 marks the end of section 2. Now we will go to the final section on the northern wall.
Holm and Bindesbøll are three steps above the ground, the foreman with cap and jacket is two steps above the ground, while the worker is on the ground. The staircase serves as an illustration of the social and economic relations.
The interruption of the movement - a standstill - seems to be a topic on this wall. It occurs no less than six times: in panels 32, 34, 40, 42, 44, and 48. I think Bindesbøll is getting impatient. He says: "Why is this taking so long?" Holm stretches out his left arm and replies: "These monuments are very heavy and precious. We have to be very careful with them. Please be patient."
Panel 50 marks the end of section 2. Now we will go to the final section on the northern wall.
SECTION 3
The long northern wall facing the canal: Thorvaldsen's arrival in Copenhagen on 17 September 1838. The work on this section, which comprises panels 22-1, took place 1847-1848. We are counting down as we move from left to right.
Panel 22, 21, and 20. In panel 21 a boy has fallen into the water. Left and right there is consternation. The people in the centre use an oar to help the boy into the boat. These people are anonymous. At this point we are far from the important person (Thorvaldsen). Going right, we get closer to the important person. The closer we get, the more people can be identified.
The frigate Rota has completed its voyage. A flotilla of row boats come out to greet the famous artist. Panels 19, 18, and 17. The Danish flag is seen on the left. In the centre several sailors are drinking while they celebrate. On the right, a woman is sitting, while a man is standing. The man is Martin Hammerich (1811-1881), a schoolteacher and an author.
Citizens of Copenhagen are greeting Thorvaldsen as he returns to Denmark: they are old and young; they are men and women. Some are famous, while others are anonymous. Some of the persons who can be identified were not in Copenhagen on that day, but they are included anyway, because they are famous and play an important role in 1838 or later. Jørgen Sonne does not show us what actually happened in 1838; he shows what should have happened. This is a case of artistic license.
In this photo we have panels 17 and 16.
In this photo we have panels 17 and 16.
People are waving to Thorvaldsen to welcome him on his return to Denmark. Panels 15 and 14. The woman who is standing in panel 14 is Johanne Louise Heiberg (1812-1890).
Panels 12 and 11. Panel 12 shows the boat with politicians. In the front of the boat we have L.N. Hvidt (1777-1856) and Orla Lehmann (1810-1870). They were not elected in 1838, but they were leading members of the Copenhagen Council in 1848 when the frieze was created. This is a case of artistic license.
Thorvaldsen gets an enthusiastic welcome from citizens of Copenhagen. Panels 10 and 9. Panel 10 shows the boat with poets. The man leaning on the mast and waving his hat is H. C. Andersen. The man standing below him waving a large handkerchief is Adam Oehlenschläger.
Panel 8: two musicians are playing in the boat; a trumpet and a trombone.
Panels 7 and 6. Three musicians are playing in panel 7; a trumpet, a trombone, and a drum. Panel 6 shows the boat with artists: Jørgen Sonne (creator of the frieze) has placed himself and his brother Edward Sonne in the boat, even though none of them were in Copenhagen in September 1838. Once again we see the Danish flag.
Panels 5 and 4. Panel 5 shows the Puggaard family. Hans Puggaard standing and his wife Bolette sitting. Next to Hans Puggaard is their daughter Maria (1821-1849). In 1844 she married Orla Lehmann, who is in the boat with politicians. Panel 4 shows the Stampe family, patrons of Thorvaldsen during his last years in Denmark. Baron H. Stampe is standing. The woman next to him is his daughter Elise Stampe. The old woman sitting is Baroness C. Stampe, while the young woman sitting next to her is their daughter Jeanina Stampe.
Panel 2. In this panel two men are waving their hats; a young boy, sitting on top of a tall object, is also waving his hat. Notice that the boy is not wearing any shoes. He has bare feet.
Panel 1 is the end of the northern wall and the end of section 3. This photo shows the final scene, the culmination of section 3.
Detail of panel 1. The left side: the oarsmen - the guard of honour - have lifted the oars into the air. On the left side we have several prominent persons, such as J. Th. Lundbye, P. C. Skovgaard, Georg Christian Freund, and Christen S. Købke.
Detail of panel 1. The right side: as Thorvaldsen steps ashore after more than forty years in Italy, he is greeted by the reception committee.
Detail of panel 1. H. B. Dahlerup, captain of the Rota, is helping Thorvaldsen ashore, while artist H. E. Freund is shaking Thorvaldsen's hand. Notice that Freund holds out his left hand, perhaps because this looks better, even though it would be awkward in real life. His right hand is on Thorvaldsen's shoulder. The reception committee (on the right) includes the following: H. W. Bissen, C. W. Eckersberg, Jonas Collin, and J. M. Thiele.
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After one hundred years, the original frieze was damaged by wind and bad weather. Therefore it was renewed and restored by a group of artists from 1951 to 1959. The man in charge of the project was the artist Axel Salto (1889-1961).
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For more information about the frieze, see The Triumph of Art at Thorvaldsens Museum by John G. W. Henderson (Museum Tusculanum, 2005, 120 pages).
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