The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-01
Bertel ThOrwaldsen.

WOOu-CaTNeT, NHO, llllnhllS HIS DOy
would be more skillful workman if he
learned to draw, sent him to the Free
Royal Academy of Fine Arts, when he
was twelve years old. AT the end of
four years, he took prize, and the fact
was mentioned in the newspapers. The
next day, one of the teachers asked,
Thorwaldsen, is it your brother who
has carried off the prize?'
Bertel's cheeks colored with pride as
he said, g No, sir; it is l." The teacher
changed his tone and replied, "Mr.
Thorwaldsen, you will go up immedi-
ately to the first rank"
Years afterward, when he had be-
come famous, he said no praise was
ever so sweet as being called "Mr."
when he was poor and unknown.
Two years later, he won another
prize, but he was now obliged to stay
at home half the time to help support
the large family. Obtaining a small
gold medal from the Academy, although
so modest that, after the examination,
he escaped from the midst of the candi-
dates by a private staircase, he deter
mined to try for the large gold medal.
If he could obtain this, he would re-
ceive $3.50 year for three years, and
study art in Italy. He at once began to
give drawing lessons, taught modelling
to wealthy boys, and helped illustrate
books, working from early morning till
late at night. He was rarely seen to
smile, so hard was the struggle for
daily bread. But he tried for the medal,
and won!
What visions of fame must have come
before him now, as he said goodbye to
his poor parents, whom, alas, he was
never to see again, and, taking his little
dog, Hector, started for away Italy
When he arrived, he was so i'll and
homesick that several times he decided
to give up art and go back. He copied,
diligently, the works of the old masters,
and tried in vain to earn little money.
He sent some small works of his own
to Copenhagen, but nobody bought
them. He made Jason with the
Golden Fleece and, when no one or
dered it, the discouraged artist broke it
in pieces. The next year, he modelled
another Jason, lady furnishing the
means, and while everybody praised it,
and Canova said, "This young Dane
has produced work in new and grand
style" it did not occur to any one to
buy statue in marble.
An artist could not live on praise
alone. Anxious days came and went
and he was destitute and wretched.
He must leave Rome and 90 back to
the Woodworking in Copenhagen; for
no one wanted beautiful things, unless
the maker was famous. He deferred
going from week to week, till at last his
humble furniture had been sold. and
his trunks waited at the door As he
was leaving the house, his travelling
companion said to him, 1--WE must wait
till tomorrow from a mistake in our
passports"
A few hours later, Mr.. Thomas Hope,
an English banker, entered his studio,
and, struck with the grandeur of his
model of Jason, asked the cost in mar
BILE. "SiX hundred sequins" (over
81 POO, he answered, not daring to
hope for such good fortune. THAT is
not enough you should ask eight"
said the generous man, who at once or
dered it.
And this was the turning-point in
Bertel's life. How often rich man
might help struggling artist, and save
genius to the world, as did this
DdllhcI OuIlS Ioi nv"
made the acquaintance of the Danish
ambassador to Naples, who introduced
him to the family of Baron Wilhelm
Won Humboldt, where the most famous
people in Rome gathered. Soon lead
ing countess commissioned him to cut
four marble statues-Bacchus Gany-
mede, Apollo and Venus. Two years
later he was made professor in the
Royal Academy of Florence.
The Academy of Copenhagen now
sent him $500, as an expression of theiI
pride in him. How much more he
needed it when he was near starving
all those nine years in Rome The
bashful student had become the &c
NAL companion and interesting talker
Louis of Bavaria, who made Munich
one of the art centers of the world, was
his admirer and friend. The Danisl
king urged him to return to Copen
hagen, but as the Quirinal was to b'
decorated with great magniticence
Rome could not spare him. For this
he made in three months his famous
{" Entry of Alexander into Babylon,
and soon after his exquisite bas-reliefs
" Night " and Morning the for
mer, goddess carrying in her arm
two children, Sleep and Death; the lat
ter, goddess flying through the all
scattering flowers with both hands.
In 1916, when he was forty-siX, h
finished his Venus, after having mad
thirty models of the figure. He thre'
away the first attempt, and devote
three years to the completion of tn
second. Three statues were made
one of which is at Chatsworth, the el(
giant home of the Duke of Devonshirt
and one was lost at sea. A year late
he carved his exquisite Byron, now {
Trinity College, Cambridge.
He was now made member of thre
other famous academies. Having bee
absent from Denmark twenty-five
years, the king urged his return, for
visit at least. The royal palace {
Charlottenburg was prepared for h
reception. The students of the Aca'
envy escorted him with bands of musi
cannon were fired, poems read, cal
tatas sung, and the king created hi
councillor of state
Was the wood-carver's son proud {
all these honors? No. The first pc
son he met at the palace was the o
man who had served as model for ii
boys when Thorwaldsen was at schoC