Bertel Thorwaldsen was born in the year 1770; but the story of his birth having taken place at sea appears to be altogether fabulous. Though in a lowly sphere during boyhood, and wretched from the poverty of his father's household, and other circumstances, he is said to have derived his descent from a family of noble blood, many generations of which had lived and died in Iceland. It is interesting to know that one of its members had been famous for his skill in sculpturing images as early as the twelfth century. Thorwaldsen's father had been forced when young to leave his native Myklabai, and seek employment as a carver of wood; though it does not appear that he was distinguished by anything approaching to excellence in the craft.

Young Bertel had little or no education, except such as he received from his mother, the daughter of a Jutland peasant. Indeed it was so defective, that on going to Rome, at twenty-seven, he was under the necessity of learning the grammar of his own country's language. Moreover, he was so indifferent a penman, that whenever he had occasion to enter into correspondence in after-life, he was fain to borrow the services of a friend; and when this was not in his power, he was often obliged to write a letter three or four times before producing one creditable enough to be despatched. Nevertheless Thorwaldsen's artistic talent soon became apparent; his father imparted to him as much knowledge of drawing as he himself possessed, and in his eleventh year he was admitted as a pupil in the drawing-class of the public Academy. While attending it, he employed his time to such good purpose, that he soon became eminently useful to his father in the carving of figure-heads for ships, and turned his talent for drawing to such account, that the wood-carver's business was much increased, both in extent and remuneration. The latter being, unfortunately, inclined to idleness and dissipation, and finding his son's labours so extremely useful and profitable, was selfish enough to monopolise the whole of the boy's time that was not occupied with lessons at the Academy. And Bertel was merely remarked by his townsmen as a tall, fair lad, with mean clothes and uncombed hair, who carried his father's tools when he went to the dockyards, assisted him when at work in the stall, or accompanied him when taking mirror-frames to some neighbouring shop.

In 1785 he was promoted to the modelling class.

and thus had new opportunities of improvement presented. But his father, who ever stood in the way of the hoy's genius having fair play, removed him from the Academy, and confined him to his own trade for a space of two years.

It was fortunate, however, that Thorwaldsen's friends at the Academy had marked and appreciated his singular abilities. Indignant that so unquestionable a genius should he unworthily and prematurely lost, they exerted themselves strenuously to recall him to the proper scene of his studies; and they at length succeeded. From this point, in spite of all drawbacks, his progress was so cheering and continuous, that in his nineteenth year he had the satisfaction and encouragement of gaining a prize for modelling.

Two years later he became a candidate for the smaller gold medal of the Academy. One of the conditions of the artistic contest was, that each competitor should shut himself up in a room, and there, with no aid or prompting, save those of dexterity and genius, prepare a model of a given subject. This trial nearly proved too much for Thorwaldsen. When left alone to his meditations, his confidence quite forsook him; and he conceived so much alarm at the severity of the ordeal, that he left the apart-ment, and escaped down a side-stair. Luckily for himself and his art. he encountered, under the arched doorway of the building, one of the professors, who quickly recognised him. This learned worthy, feeling a sincere interest in Thorwaldsen's welfare, questioned him closely as to his reason for losing hope, obtained a full confession, pointed out the folly of the course he was taking, and urged him to return with so much earnestness, that the young sculptor went back to his post. Within four hours he ex-ecuted a sketch which put all his doubts and fears to flight, and rendered him successful against every competitor.

After this well-merited triumph Thorwaldsen's prospects brightened, patrons of art began to smile upon him, and he was employed in modelling by the court architect. Besides, he earned money, and got into better society, by taking likenesses, and giving lessons in drawing; and he looked forward with hope and courage to carrying off the great gold medal of the Academy—the highest distinction within the student's reach.

This he accomplished with honour in his twenty-third year; and henceforth his position was more pleasant and tolerable. In fact, his income was now considerable; and, not to mention sentiments of a more tender kind, his friendships were so enchaining, that he did not, at that period, take advantage of the travelling pension for three years attached to the prize he had won.

However, some time afterwards, he determined to avail himself of the privilege, and his application for it was immediately granted, along with that of a free passage to the Mediterranean in a Government frigate. On arriving in Rome, Thorwaldsen presented himself to the Danish consul, to whom he had been recommended. That functionary recognised at once his want of education and his remark-able talents. The sculptor was indeed still awkward, reserved, and uncultivated in manner. Moreover, he was in too many respects careless and indolent; but these reprehensible habits seem to have arisen chiefly from his utter indifference to all subjects except that to which his attention was directed, and with which his name is associated, because all indolence speedily disappeared when he was in presence of the monuments of ancient art that remained in Borne; and he set himself to copy and model, with the eye, hand, and spirit of a true artist. The times and circumstances were provokingly unpropitious; and though his first great work, "Jason," was much admired, it stood for years in clay, without being commissioned. He had already, through the influence of his friends, obtained and exhausted a prolongation of the time during which the Danish Academy's travelling pension was allowed; and matters still wearing a gloomy appearance, he resolved, though unwillingly, to retrace his steps to his native land.

Preparations, with that view, had actually been made, when Mr. Hope, the author of "Anastasius," visited his studio, and commissioned his Jason for 800 zeckins.

On this, Thorwaldsen instantly abandoned the idea of returning to Denmark, and devoted himself to his art with consummate success. It was not till his fiftieth year that he revisited the scenes of his sad and dispiriting boyhood. Then, indeed, those whom he would naturally have desired to please, and who, beyond all others, must have been gratified with his success, had gone where the weary are at rest. The mother had died of something like a broken heart; and the father soon after breathed his last in an almshouse, feeling—perhaps, not without a cause— indignant that he should have been allowed to be in such a place. But the son had meantime, by the exercise of his natural gifts, won a famous name, and established a European reputation. His crea tive faculties continued unimpaired and productive to the end of his long life; and he died in the year 1844, having, in spite of inauspicious influences and multitudinous disadvantages, raised himself from the chill, disheartening atmosphere of a carver's stall, to the highest honour among artists, fascinated the world with the emanations of his rich genius, and earned for himself a splendid and wide-spread fame