Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1963, Page 118

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TIMARIT ÞJÓÐRÆKNISFÉLAGS ÍSLENDINGA
sent to Copenhagen in 1833, but was
still there when Thorvaldsen arrived
in 1839. Thorvaldsen saw to it that
jt was sent on to Iceland, but it
never did reach its destination and
was placed instead in the Reykja-
vík Cathedral. Engraved on this
baptismal font are the words:
“Grip þennan gjörði í Rómaborg
og gaf íslandi, æitjörð sinni, í rækt-
arskyni, Albert Thorvaldsen, árið
1827.”
Not many of Thorvaldsen’s works
found their way to Iceland, but on
the occasion of the millennial cele-
bration in 1874, Denmark presented
Iceland with a bronze statue, which
is the self-portrait of the sculptor
as he stands and leans on the God-
dess of Hope. It is situated in a small
park in Reykjavík, near the little
lake “Tjörnin”.
His friends were well aware of
the fact that he considered himself
Icelandic; they called him “Thor
from Iceland”. The Swedes and
Norwegians called him an Icelander,
and as such he was their cousin and
kinsman. On several occasions when
he was hailed and honored he was
referred to as an Icelander in
speeches and laudatory poems. One
such example is given here in the
Icelandic version:
“Þá hófust opin heilög Islands vé
við hágný Þrumuguðsins fram hann
sté,
hinn ungi Þór með Heklu eld í
hendi,
frá hömrum íslands Þór hinn
rammi’ hann sendi”.
There is no doubt that generally
speaking he was referred to as an
Icelander, and this to do him added
honor. But on one occasion it was
used in a derogatory manner, and
this was at the time his engagement
to the estimable Scottish lady,
Frances MacKenzie was broken.
Her friends blamed Thorvaldsen for
this and one of them said: “What
else can you expect from this Ice-
landic Don Juan”. There is every
evidence that Thorvaldsen received
his artistic talents from his father,
and most likely his musical ability
from his mother’s people, — her
father was the organist in a church
in Jutland. Young Bertel had learn-
ed to play both the violin and the
flute at home in Copenhagen, and
he kept up his playing of the violin,
becoming quite accomplished. When
Felir Mendelssohn was his daily
guest in Rome, it is said that they
played “duets” on the p i a n o.
However that may be, Thorvaldsen
could very well play “Song without
Words” on his violin accompanied
by Mendelssohn at the piano.
Naturally Thorvaldsen made a
bust of Mendlessohn and of many
other great men who crowded him,
as well as of heroes dead and gone
long since. Here may be mentioned
a few: Byron, Shelley, Schiller,
Goethe, Walter Scott, Alexander,
Emperor of Russia, Oehlenschláger,
Count Reventlow, the Duchess
Helena, and more than one bust of
Napoleon, whom he admired from
afar. All this was very lucrative
work and he was becoming wealthy.
He worked furiously in his studio
even when his anteroom was full
of noble visitors who clamored to
see him. Often, on these occasions,
his servant would announce, “I am