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The Thorvaldsen Frieze

A triumphal entrance

It is the artist and his patron who introduce us to the discovery of the frieze “The Entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon” , executed in Rome between 1818 and 1828 by Bertel Thorvaldsen in Carrara marble: in the panel that closes one side of the composition, the Danish sculptor depicts himself in the act of presenting the large work just completed, destined for the Salone dei Marmi, to Giovanni Battista Sommariva, the owner of the villa in Tremezzo.

The frieze narrates the triumphal entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon at the head of the Macedonian army, drawing inspiration from great masterpieces of ancient sculpture such as the reliefs of the Parthenon in Athens and Trajan's Column in Rome. It is conceived as the meeting of two processions converging toward the center, that is, toward the figure of Alexander the Great advancing on the chariot driven by Victory, followed by his famous steed Bucephalus and his soldiers laden with booty. Opposite the leader, the allegorical figure of Peace, recognizable by the olive branch, precedes the people and rulers of Babylon, who offer their gifts (horses, lions, panthers, etc.) to the victor, while dancers scatter flowers in his honor.

The frieze, an initial stucco version of which was created for the Quirinale Palace in Rome, is one of the greatest masterpieces of nineteenth-century European sculpture .

Thorvaldsen and Sommariva welcome visitors into the frieze
The right side begins here, depicting the Greek army. Alexander is in a chariot driven by Victory
Bucephalus
Commanders of Alexander’s army (knights with plumed helmets)
Elephant with captive Persian commander
The left side begins here, depicting the Babylonian army. Mazaeus with his children, led by Peace
Women scattering flowers before Alexander
Bagophanes burning perfumes on altars placed along the road
The Chaldean astronomers. Lions and panthers brought as a gift
Shepherd with flock
People of Babylon crowding the walls
River Tigris
Merchants on their boat loaded with merchandise
Fisherman

"I'll speak to you in person later about this prodigious bas-relief by Phidias-Thorvaldsen. I hope it's the best deal I've ever made in this field, even if it's a speculative one."

Giovanni Battista Sommariva to his son Luigi. Rome, March 9, 1818

Chronology

1809 Napoleon announces his intention to go to Rome for a second coronation in St. Peter's

1811 Thorvaldsen receives the commission for the sculptural decoration to be placed in the Hall of Honor of the Quirinale

1812 Thorvaldsen works on the frieze from March to November

1818 Following the fall of Napoleon, a second version of the frieze commissioned by him remained unfinished and only half paid for. Sommariva paid the remainder and purchased the work for his villa on the lake.

1829 The 33 slabs of the frieze are all laid and the works are completed by Luigi Sommariva

1838 Thorvaldsen completes a new version of the frieze for the Royal Palace in Copenhagen

Resources for further study

Guide to the Thorvaldsen Frieze

Download, print, and take this PDF with you. An in-depth guide to the 10 panels that make up the frieze, with all the historical facts you need to understand.

Download

Resources for further study

THE CONTRACT

“I, the undersigned Bertel Thorvaldsen, undertake to execute in first-quality statuary marble for His Excellency the Lord Cavaliere Sommariva the Entry of Alexander into Babylon, divided into four sides, namely: the two largest sides each measuring 43 palms (equal to 8.6 meters), and the other two measuring 37.5 palms (equal to 8.3 meters). I promise to begin this work immediately and continue it until its completion. I recognize the Person of the Lord Cavaliere Sommariva as my Patron, who has given me the desired opportunity to execute this work, which I consider one of my finest.”
Rome, January 1, 1818
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, "Portrait of Thorvaldsen in Front of the Alexander Frieze", 1814. In 1814, while he was in Rome, the Danish painter Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783–1853) painted one of the most famous portraits of Bertel Thorvaldsen, of whom he was a close friend. He painted Thorvaldsen in his studio, wearing the clothes of the artists admitted to the Roman Academy of San Luca, one of the oldest and most prestigious art institutions in Europe. The fact that Thorvaldsen chose to have himself portrayed in front of one of the Frieze of Alexander panels he had in the studio, showing Alexander on the chariot driven by Victory, proves he considered this work to be his masterpiece and wanted it to epitomize his art. In this room a colour lithograph reproduced the portrait of Eckersberg, which is found in Copenhagen.

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