Bertel Thorvaldsen
Danish-Icelandic neoclassical sculptor of international fame
Carl Joseph Begas · via Wikipedia: Bertel Thorvaldsen · Public domain
Bertel Thorvaldsen, a sculptor and medalist of Danish-Icelandic origin, resided in Italy for the majority of his life between 1797 and 1838.[1] Individuals who supported him financially were located throughout Europe.[2]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 19 November 1770
- Birthplace
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Died
- 24 March 1844
- Known for
- Sculpting
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen in 1770, the son of Gottskálk Þorvaldsson, an Icelander who had settled in Denmark.[3] His father was a wood-carver at a shipyard and influenced his son's choice of career.[3] In 1819, he visited his native Denmark and was commissioned to make statues of Christ and the Twelve Apostles for Vor Frue Kirke.[4] He died suddenly from a heart attack at the Copenhagen Royal Theatre on March 24, 1844.[5][6]
He bequeathed his fortune for a museum in Copenhagen to display his works.[5] Growing up in Copenhagen, Thorvaldsen experienced a modest upbringing, and his father's alcohol problem impeded his professional progress.[7] Thorvaldsen's writing skills were poor, and his understanding of high culture remained limited.[8]
What the cited sources add
A 2011 paper by Ernst Jonas Bencard states that Thorvaldsen collapsed during the first movement of a symphony by Ferdinand Ries.[6] The same source notes that a dispute arose after his death over his medical treatment by two doctors, Ole Bang and Johan Peter Jacobsen.[6] The newspaper Fædrelandet indirectly accused Jacobsen of possibly causing Thorvaldsen's death by closing a fontanelle on his leg.[6] Jacobsen retorted that both fontanelles were open at the time of death, as confirmed by the autopsy.[6]
The autopsy report, summarized in Fædrelandet on March 27, 1844, stated that the cause of death was an organic disease of the heart.[6] A modern medical consultant concluded in 2007 that Thorvaldsen died from coronary thrombosis, a heart attack.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Forrer, "Biographical Dictionary of Medallists", Spink & Son Ltd, 1916, p. 84–86 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Alexander Sturgis. 2006. Rebels and Martyrs: The Image of the Artist in the Nineteenth Century, London: National Gallery (Great Britain), p. 52 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: See the confirmation certificate at the Thorvaldsens Museum Archives; Paul Henri Mallet, Thomas Percy, I. A. Blackwell, Sir Walter Scott, Northern Antiquities, Harvard University Press (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Coe, "Modern Europe", Silver Burdett, 1896, p. 124–127 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bencard, "On the Cause of Thorvaldsen's Death" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Bencard, "On the Cause of Thorvaldsen's Death". facts only, no text reused. arkivet.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Just Mathias Thiele, Bertel Thorvaldsen, Mordaunt Roger Barnard. 1865. The Life of Thorvaldsen. Chapman and Hall pp. 3–4 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bertel Thorvaldsen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Just Mathias Thiele, Bertel Thorvaldsen, Mordaunt Roger Barnard. 1865. The Life of Thorvaldsen. Chapman and Hall p.8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bertel Thorvaldsen (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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