Thorvaldsen was a predominant Danish sculptor who worked in the neo-classical style popular in the 18th century.

He lived for most of his life in Rome and was heavily influenced by the classical styles.
Many of his sculptures are of Roman gods and goddesses, or from stories such as Jason and the Golden Fleece.
A plaster model of a bust at the museum. The entire museum was designed by Thorvaldsen to highlight his sculptures and statues.Many of the sculptures on display are plaster models that were designed before the final statues were cast out of bronze or carved out of marble. A statue of Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press which brought books and their contained knowledge to the people. Although I’m not crazy about this style of sculpture, I’m in love with the dark rich colours, elaborate ceilings and complex, almost art deco floors that he designed to complement his work.
Painting of Thorvaldsen’s original studio containing masses of sculptures.
Richly coloured hallway with doors leading through to a bust on a plinth. The tiled patterns on the floor subtly reinforce the colour scheme. The tiled floors have mosaic tiles arranged in complex geometric patterns. There was an amazing variety of combinations done in these small mosaic tiles.
The ceilings are equally impressive, and again, deliberately designed to complement his art.
Classic barrel-vaulted ceiling and chocolate coloured walls lead into a sculpture of a man on a horse. I love the dense ultramarine blue on the window insets.Elaborate cameo-like reliefs decorate this complex ceiling.Starting on the right, these small busts show the process of creating his statues and sculptures. They started with a base structure of small pegs on wires that indicate the different depths of the face, followed by a rough clay bust, which was then smoothed and formed the basis of a plaster cast.Again from the right, the plaster cast was refined and then measured using plum lines to start working on the final sculpture of marble. The final bust of a woman Vittoria in marble.More about our trip to Denmark & Sweden in 2018.