Relations Between the Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Accademia Di S
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ANALECTA ROMANA INSTITUTI DANICI XXXVII ANALECTA ROMANA INSTITUTI DANICI XXXVII 2012 ROMAE MMXII ANALECTA ROMANA INSTITUTI DANICI XXXIV © 2012 Accademia di Danimarca ISSN 2035-2506 Published with the support of a grant from: Det Frie Forskningsråd / Kultur og Kommunikation SCIENTIFIC BOARD Ove Hornby (Bestyrelsesformand, Det Danske Institut i Rom) Maria Fabricius Hansen (Ny Carlsbergfondet) Thomas Harder (Forfatter/writer/scrittore) Michael Herslund (Copenhagen Business School) Hanne Jansen (Københavns Universitet) Hannemarie Ragn Jensen (Københavns Universitet) Kurt Villads Jensen (Syddansk Universitet) Mogens Nykjær (Aarhus Universitet) Vinnie Nørskov (Aarhus Universitet) Birger Riis-Jørgensen (Den Danske Ambassade i Rom) Niels Rosing-Schow (Det Kgl. Danske Musikkonservatorium) Poul Schülein (Arkitema, København) Lene Schøsler (Københavns Universitet) EDITORIAL BOARD Marianne Pade (Chair of Editorial Board, Det Danske Institut i Rom) Patrick Kragelund (Danmarks Kunstbibliotek) Carsten Hjort Lange (Det Danske Institut i Rom) Gitte Lønstrup Dal Santo (Det Danske Institut i Rom) Gert Sørensen (Københavns Universitet) Maria Adelaide Zocchi (Det Danske Institut i Rom) Analecta Romana Instituti Danici. — Vol. I (1960) — . Copenhagen: Munksgaard. From 1985: Rome, «L’ERMA» di Bretschneider. From 2007 (online): Accademia di Danimarca ANALECTA ROMANA INSTITUTI DANICI encourages scholarly contributions within the Academy’s research fields. All contributions will be peer reviewed. Manuscripts to be considered for publication should be sent to: [email protected] Authors are requested to consult the journal’s guidelines at www.acdan.it Contents THOMAS GRANE: Pliny and the wandering mountain. A new interpretation of Pliny’s account of the northern Barbaricum with an archaeological comment 7 CARSTEN HJORT LANGE: Constantine’s Civil War Triumph of AD 312 and the Adaptability of Triumphal Tradition 29 LUIGI SILVANO: Saltationes: A Notebook on Ancient Dance by Angelo Poliziano 55 KNUD ARNE JüRGENSEN: “Con placido sembiante….” L’opera Il Valdemaro di Domenico Sarro (Roma, 1726) 79 KAREN ASCANI: Il carteggio di Georg Zoëga (1755-1809) mediatore fra Roma e la Danimarca 151 EMMA SALLING: Relations between the Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Accademia di S. Luca in Rome during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries 159 Relations between the Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Accademia di S. Luca in Rome during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.* by EMMA SALLING Abstract. This paper seeks to offer an insight into the relationship between the Copenhagen and the Roman academies of fine arts during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. A number of similarities existed between Rome and Copenhagen in respect to the principles of administration and education. These similarities probably owed most to the fact that the French academy, which had been founded on the principles of the Italian academy, had been the model for the Danish one in 1754. The author has found no evidence that Danish art students formally visited the famous Roman academy of S. Luca in this period. Nevertheless, many Danish art students stayed in Rome and came into contact with S. Luca’s members in less formal ways. This paper discusses the different kinds of relationships that existed between Danish artists and the S. Luca academy, including the role as honorary members played by high-ranking visitors, diplomats and more senior members of the academies in Rome and Copenhagen. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who was active in Rome and a member and professor of both academies, seems to have served as the most significant link between the academies at Copenhagen and Rome. The study concludes that the relationship between the Danish and the S. Luca academy was mainly based on the personal relationships that developed between the artists and on knowledge of their works. Throughout this period Danish art students maintained stronger connections to the French academy in Rome than they did with San Luca. The paper shows examples of a negative attitude held by Danes towards the education of the S. Luca Academy and to contemporary Italian art. This paper offers an insight into the that existed between them, as exemplified in relationship between the Copenhagen and a number of personal connections. Roman academies of fine arts during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Two academies subject is treated from a Danish perspective, The Roman Accademia di S. Luca was focusing on material in the Danish academy’s founded in 1593 with the painter Federico archives. Much more evidence remains Zuccari (c. 1541-1609), a former member to be found in other archives, including of the Accademia del Disegno in Florence, contemporary correspondence and memoirs. acting as its first head.1 As early as 1577, Regarding the Roman academy, the sources Pope Gregor XIII had decided to found an are limited to literature available in Denmark academy of fine arts in Rome and, in 1588, The paper begins with introductory Pope Sixtus V donated the church S. Martina remarks on the foundation, organization to the artists’ congregation. The church was and teaching of the two academies. I then hereafter renamed SS. Luca e Martina, and the demonstrate the nature of the relationship new academy’s various activities took place in 160 EMMA SALLING surrounding buildings. Between the 1630s and of 1748. He was soon succeeded, however, by 1660s, the architect Pietro da Cortona rebuilt the French sculptor Jacques François Joseph the church, while the academy continued to Saly (1717-1776), who had come to Denmark use a number of other premises over the to execute an equestrian statue of Frederik V. centuries. Since 1934, its seat has been the Saly re-organized the teaching and structure Palazzo Carpegna in Piazza dell’Accademia.2 of the academy and elaborated out a detailed The Danish academy of fine arts was new foundation statute in 1758. This was founded (or, more properly, refounded) in strongly inspired by the rules of the French 1754 by King Frederik V (1723-1766).3 Two academy in Paris, where he had been educated, previous Danish academies, founded in 1738 and of which he remained a member. and 1748 respectively, had primarily been art While the Roman academy of S. Luca was schools, but the new academy was a much founded as a papal institution, the foundation more ambitious project. It was intended statute of the Danish academy more than 150 to function not only as a school, but also years later was the act of an absolute monarch. as a learned society - a national institution The king was anxious to train native Danish designed, in the prevailing absolutist spirit, artists. Frederik V desired the fine arts to to control artistic life in the country on the flourish in his lands, not only for the benefit French model. The academy was housed in of royalty and aristocracy or to glorify his one of the finest old buildings in the centre absolute power, but also to promote Danish of Copenhagen: Charlottenborg, built in handicraft and trade - in short for commercial the years 1672-1683 as a private residence, purposes. As is well known, similar thinking but from 1700 royal property (Fig. 1). It is inspired the foundation of many other still used by the academy, though it is now European academies during the last four too small to house the different schools and decades of the eighteenth century such as administrative offices. those at Dresden, Vienna and St. Petersburg.4 The Academy’s first director was the In Copenhagen, the majority of students in the architect Niels (Nicolaj) Eigtved (1701-1754), lower classes were made up of craftsmen, and who had been transferred from the academy from 1771 academy assemblies spent much Fig. 1. Charlottenborg Palace, Copenhagen. From Pontoppidan 1764, 174 (photo: © Danish National Art Library, Copenhagen). RELATIONS BETWEEN THE DANISH ACADEMY AND THE ACCADEMIA DI S. LUCA 161 time evaluating masterworks from the guilds. In Copenhagen too the students competed From 1814, test pieces were also considered. for silver medals for model-drawings, reliefs, For its part, the Roman S. Luca academy or architectural drawings, before proceeding included the three main branches of art: to more advanced gold-medal competitions. painting, sculpture and architecture. According Compared to the winners of the Roman to Federico Zuccari they could be thought prizes, Danish gold-medal recipients for of as three sisters, all of them daughters of biblical subjects in oil or reliefs were much Disegno. Similar ideas recur in treaties on art less experienced artists, far indeed from the from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, Roman grand style. They knew the classical and were employed, for instance, by Saly and masters only from prints or art collections Johannes Wiedewelt (1731-1802), in a more or in Copenhagen, above all the royal one. less philosophical way.5 The Danish academy Moreover, they executed their works in a of 1754 was also dedicated to all three arts period of only about two months and under (Fig. 2), as had been the former academy very difficult circumstances in small, cramped of 1748. In this respect it differed from the rooms. Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris, which was only devoted to the first two. Indeed, a separate French architectural academy, Académie Royale d’Architecture, was not established until 1671. The organizational structure behind the Italian and Danish academies was very similar and was also to be found in the French academy and others. Given that the Roman academy had been consciously chosen as the model for the French one upon its foundation in 1648, this is not surprising. In simple terms, the core was made up by the academy assembly under the leadership of a president6, with the assembly itself consisting of professors and other officials, ordinary and honorary members, all of whom possessed Fig.