Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1963, Page 120

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TÍMARIT ÞJÓÐRÆKNISFÉLAGS ÍSLENDINGA
Peter’s. Later the Pope, Leo XII,
the successor of Pope Pius, came
to visit Thorvaldsen and conferred
upon him the tremendous honor of
being appointed the President of the
San Luca Academy of Art. One
might even say that the Pope him-
self erred in this deviation from
strong Catholic tradition, by giving
this honor to an heretic!
Another monumental work en-
trusted to Thorvaldsen by this
Catholic city, was to decorate the
Quirinal Palace, in preparation for
the projected visit of Napoleon to
Rome. This was in the year 1812
and there was little time for doing
the work, which was an immense
frieze 115 feet in length. Thorvald-
sen plunged into this project with
such power of soul, heart and body
that it was finished in a compar-
atively short space of time. It was
furthermore, a delicate task from
the diplomatic standpoint, for while
this fabulous frieze should interpret
an honorable welcome to Napoleon
it must not in any way cast a
shadow on the might and glory that
was Rome. But the brilliant imagin-
ation of the sculptor solved this
problem by using a symbolism that
would be flattering to both sides.
So we find this magnificent frieze
depicting the entry of Alexander the
Great into Babylon! The populace
was astounded at this accomplish-
ment of Thorvaldsen, — the speed,
the precision, the artistry, aptness
and clever symbolism of the finished
work. But never did Napoleon come
to see this work in his honor, for
he was arrested in 1814!
Concerning the love-life of Albert
Thorvaldsen we know little. Many
and beautiful were his models of
Cupid, whose arrows occasionally
found a mark in the artist’s warm
and compassionate heart. But he
was never married, and as the years
passed he seemed more firmly
wedded to his art. But other factors
were at work here, too. In his early
days in Rome he fell in love with
an Italian girl who loved him madly
in return, for she was a true
daughter of the South, volatile, pas-
sionate and fiery of nature. But she
married another man, a German
Professor by the name of Uhden,
leaving him shortly to return to
Rome to her true love, Bertel. There
was no possibility of a divorce as
she was a Catholic, but she and
Thorvaldsen were companions in
love for over twenty years. They
never lived together, as he con-
tinued to live in his permanent
lodgings, but he provided a home
for her, and they had two children,
a girl and a boy. He loved the boy
devotedly and was devastated with
grief when he died suddenly at the
age of three years. It is reputed that
many of his most delicate and
beautiful models of Cupid and of
angels, were done from the image
of this beloved little son, Carlo
Alberto. The girl grew up and he
took her to live with him, later
sending her to a convent to be edu-
cated. She married a Fritz Paulsen,
an officer at the court of the Dan-
ish King. It is reputed that her son
became a well known artist. Thor-
valdsen settled the sum of 20,000