Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XI. The Thorvaldsen museum
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
Chap. XI. THE THORVALDSEN MUSEUM. 167
silver leaves to place upon the bier. All delighted to
honour him,—the high, the humble,—the rich, the poor,
—the old, and the young.
When the funeral procession arrived at the church of
Our Lady, the king, the prince, and magnates of the
land, all left their seats, and accompanied the coffin to
the altar. All Denmark came forward on that day to
attend the funeral of one they had loved and respected
when living, and whose unrivalled talent added to the
glory of their country.
By his last will, with the exception of a sum
bequeathed to his natural daughter, he left all his property
to found a museum for his works and collections in
Copenhagen, the inauguration of which took place in
1848.
Thorvaldsen never married. He was for many years
engaged to a Miss Mackenzie, a young Scotch lady, to
whom he was much attached; but the course, however,
of his true love ran not smooth, and the marriage
was broken off.
In accordance with his expressed desire, he lies
interred within the inner court of the building. An oblong
box of polished granite, planted with ivy, covers over his
remains. He requires no more. Like Sir Christopher
Wren, he may exclaim, “ Si monumentum æqueris,
cir-cumspice.”
The Thorvaldsen Museum was built partly at the
public cost, the sum bequeathed by the illustrious
sculptor proving insufficient to defray the expenses of
its erection.
Of the exterior of the edifice itself I will say
little; it is hideous in every point of view, and one
of the numerous examples of the folly of transplant-
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
