Bertel Thorvaldsen
Danish, 1770–1844

When he made this portrait, Danish artist Thorvaldsen was the most celebrated sculptor in the Western world. Resident in Rome since 1797, he came there as Neoclassicism, with its ideals of recreating the art of ancient Greece and Rome, was reaching maturity. He reinforced those ideals with the firm structure and refined technique of his own art.

Best known for mythological subjects, Thorvaldsen was also a remarkable portraitist. Although this bust reflects his close study of ancient sculpture—particularly in the details of the Roman cloak and sword strap across the chest—it also shows a new tendency toward realism. Thorvaldsen captured the dignity and vivacious charm of Artur Potocki (1787–1832), a Polish count and popular member of international society in Vienna, Paris, and Warsaw. While the tousled hair and sideburns were current European fashions, the finely textured finish of the marble, “to catch the light,” as he said, was a personal technique of Thorvaldsen.

Marble; modeled 1829, executed 1830–33
Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 1991.64