Search tips

Welcome to the Thorvaldsens Museum Collections. There are two ways in which to find your way round The collections:

• Click on the thumb nail images. A large image is revealed together with information on the work seen in the picture. On the front page of The collections you can also click on See All. You will then see photos of all the works included in the collection selected, for instance all Thorvaldsen’s sculptures.

• Search in The collections by entering a search term in the search field. Below, you will find tips and guidance for searching in The collections.

Remember that you can always return to the front page of The collections by clicking on THE COLLECTIONS in the white area above the search field.

What do The collections contain

Here, you can find an overview of the museum’s collections of sculptures, paintings, drawings, ancient artefacts and Thorvaldsen’s personal possessions etc. The collections cover a period from around 2600 BC to c. AD 1900.

The works displayed in The collections belong to Thorvaldsens Museum. Exceptions to this, however, are works on long-term loan to Thorvaldsens Museum. A large proportion of the works in the collections are normally kept in the museum storage. This applies especially to works on paper, which will suffer if exposed to a great deal of daylight.

The works in the museum are divided up into 13 categories, i.e. 13 collections. The principle on which these categories are determined is firstly whether the work is by Thorvaldsen himself and then whether it is something that has belonged to Thorvaldsen. Finally, the division is determined by the medium – i.e. whether it is a sculpture, a painting etc.

All the works in the museum are allocated a unique, individual number. This number is called an inventory number (abbreviated to: inv. no.). All the museum inventory numbers start with a letter indicating the collection to which this specific work belongs, for instance “A” for Thorvaldsen’s sculptures. This letter is followed by a number. One inv. no. can thus be A1.

Collection	Inv. no.
Thorvaldsen’s Works
Thorvaldsen’s sculptures	A1 to A917
Thorvaldsen’s drawings	C1 to C1167
Thorvaldsen as Collector
Collection of paintings	B1 to B463
Drawings by other artists	D1 to D1894
Graphic works by other artists	E1 to E2340
Collection of medals	F1 to F147
Sculptures by other artists	G1 to G403
Ancient artefacts	H1 to H3404
Ancient gems	I1 to I2133
Ancient coins	K1 to K3469
Casts of antique sculptures	L1 to L674
Thorvaldsen’s personal possessions and Thorvaldsen’s Museum
Thorvaldseniana	N1 to N1463
Works on loan from other museums
Deposits	Dep.1 to Dep. 58

The on-line catalogue of the collections in Thorvaldsens Museum is still under contruction and so not all works and objects are searchable yet.

Search tips

What are the options for searching The collections

Below, you can see the search options available from the front page of The collections. The search options can be used individually, or they can be combined in order to limit the search.

1. Click and see the many different collections from which you can choose.
2. Select either All collections or a single collection from those on the pulldown menu.
3. It is possible to arrange the search result according to other criteria than the artists’ names by selecting Title or Inv.no. in the pulldown menu.
4. Enter search terms in the search field. Perhaps see our examples of search terms.
5. Click on the Search button in order to start the search, or press the Enter key on the keyboard.
6. Click on the Clear button to start a new search.
7. Click on Search Tips in order to receive tips and guidance on searching The collections.
8. Click on See all in order to see all the works in a collection.
9. Click on the thumb nail pictures to get information on the work.

Select a collection

Select a collection and enter any relevant search term. Then click on Search or press the Enter key on the keyboard. As a standard, a search is made in all collections when a search term is entered in the search field. But in the pulldown menu you can select for a search to be made in a single one of the 13 collections.

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select Collection of paintings	(no search term)	All works in the Collection of paintings
Select Collection of paintings	flowers	All works in the Collection of paintings in which the word flowers appears

Sorting the list of results

Irrespective of whether you select See all or make a specific search, the works displayed are as a rule sorted alphabetically according to artist or originator. In the pulldown menu in the Sort by field it is possible instead to have the search result sorted according to the title or inventory number of the works.

Sorting by artist: The term “artist” includes named artists, the originators of ancient artefacts and other objects in the museum, and groups of artists or originators, for instance groups of ancient vase painters. The search result first displays works by named artists or originators in alphabetical order (surname, first name), followed by works with which no artist is linked. If the search result contains several works by the same artist, that artist’s works are arranged alphabetically according to title. The same applies if the search result contains several works to which no artist is linked.

Select from the menu Collections and enter possible search term	Select from the menu Sort by	Search result and link to search result
Select Ancient artefacts (no search term)	Select Artist	All works in the collection Ancient artefacts sorted by the artist’s name
Select Ancient artefacts and enter clay in the search field	Select Artist	All works in the collection containing the word clay, sorted by the artists’ names

Sorting by title: Sorting in this way displays the works in alphabetical order according to title. It is useful if you want to see works depicting the same motif or subject – and which therefore have identical titles – displayed together on the list of results regardless of artist, originator or inv.no.

Select from the menu Collections and enter possible search term	Select from the menu Sort by	Search result and link to search result
Select Ancient artefacts (no search term)	Select Title	All works in the collection Ancient artefacts sorted by title
Select Ancient artefacts and enter clay in the search field	Select Title	All works in the collection Ancient artefacts in which the word clay appears, sorted by title

Sorting by inv.no.: Sorting in this way is useful if you want the works sorted by inv. no. regardless of artist or title. The first letter in every inv. no. indicates to which of the collections in the museum the work belongs. By searching in All collections, where you click on Sort by: inv.no., the works are listed in the search result according to the collections to which they belong, e.g. first Thorvaldsen’s sculptures (inv. no. with the initial letter A), then works from the Collection of paintings (inv. no. with the initial letter B) and then works from the collection of Thorvaldsen’s drawings (inv. no. with the initial letter C) etc. In the respective collections, the system of inventory numbers is moreover constructed in such a way that works of the same type (e.g. sculptures, reliefs, busts, vases, jewellery etc.) are as a rule numbered in succession and are thus displayed successively if the results are listed according to inv. no.

If you choose to sort by inv. no. and to See all works in an individual collection or to limit your search to an individual collection, the list of results will accordingly be sorted in these groups of artefact types. This can be especially useful when displaying the collection of Ancient artefacts, which contains many different kinds of artefacts.

Select from the menu Collections and enter search term	Select from the menu Sort by	Search result and link to search result
Select Ancient artefacts (no search term)	Select Inv.no.	All works in the collection Ancient artefacts sorted by inv.no.
Select Ancient artefacts and enter clay in the search field	Select Inv.no.	All works in the collection Ancient artefacts in which the word clay appears, sorted by inv.no.

Enter search term in the search field

You can either search across all the collections in the museum at the same time, or limit your search field to a single collection. The following examples start out from searches across the collections. To limit your search to a single collection, see the section Select a collection.

To carry out a search you need only enter a search term in the search field and then click on Search or press the Enter key on the keyboard.

When your search starts, the search term entered in the search field will return results from across all fields of information registered in the collections. And the search will be carried out in both the Danish and the English versions of the fields.

All searches are case insensitive, but do support accents and other signs such as ö.

You can also carry out a wildcard search by adding a * (star) to the search term. This is useful if you are in doubt as to the spelling or if you want to search for all words containing your search terms.

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter cart	All works in which the word cart appears
Select All collections	Enter *cart	All works in which the word cart or words ending in cart appear
Select All collections	Enter cart*	All works in which the word cart or words starting with cart appear
Select All collections	Enter *cart*	All works in which the word cart or words containing cart appear

It is possible to limit your search with AND, OR, NOT and " ". These search possibilities can also be combined.

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter flute* shepherd	All works in which both the word shepherd and the word flute or words beginning with flute appear. Same as search with AND
Select All collections	Enter “Cupid and the Sleeping Psyche”	All works containing the formulation Cupid and the Sleeping Psyche appear
Select All collections	Enter horse* NOT emperor*	All works in wich the word horse, but not words beginning with emperor will appear
Select All collections	Enter Aphrodite OR Venus	All works containing either or both words

Search based on figures, artefacts etc.

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter cup	All works in which the word cup appears
Select All collections	Enter fish*	All works in which the word fish or words starting with fish appear
Select All collections	Enter *mask*	All works in which the word mask or words containing mask appear

Search based on historical figure

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter Luther	All works in which the word Luther appears

Search based on religious or mythological figure
Note that the use of the word OR permits the search for both the Greek and Latin names of mythological figures.

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter Madonna	All works in which the word Madonna appears
Select All collections	Enter Mars	All works in which the word Mars appears
Select All collections	Enter Grace*	All works in which the word Grace or words starting with Grace appear
Select All collections	Enter Dionysos OR Bacchus	All works in which the words Dionysos or Bacchus appear

Search based on the artist’s forename or second name
The names of Danish artists are spelled as in the Weilbach Kunstnerleksikon, Encyclopaedia of Danish Artists. In the case of foreign artists, the spelling used is that in the Getty Institute ULAN. If the artist is not found in these sources, it is spelled as in the German Thieme-Beckers Künstlerlexikon. If no reference is found to an artist in any of the above works, use is made of the name and spelling by which the artist is most commonly known.

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter Møller	All works in which the word møller appears
Select All collections	Enter M*ller	All works in which words beginning with m and ending with ller appear
Select All collections	Enter Karl	All works in which the word Karl appears
Select All collections	Enter *arl	All works containing words ending in arl

Search based on the materials used in a work

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter gouache	All works in which the word gouache appears

Search based on cultural origin

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter Greek	All works in which the word Greek appears

Search on inv. no.
As a main rule, an inv. no. consists of a capital letter followed by a number. Note that these must be written without a space between (an overview of the system of inv. nos. is available here). In cases where an inv. no. also contains a comma followed by a further number, the reference is to a work consisting of several parts. For instance drawings or prints bound together in a single book. The number following the comma is then a page reference. An example is inv. no. C562,44r. If, as in this case, the number is followed by “r”, this “r” indicates that the reference is to the front of the paper (recto). If on the other hand the page number is followed by “v”, the reference is to the back of the paper (verso).

Select from the menu Collections	Enter search term	Search result and link to search result
Select All collections	Enter A162	All works in which the inv. no. A162 appears
Select All collections	Enter C562	All works in which the inv. no. C562 appears
Select All collections	Enter C562,44r	All works in which the inv. no. C562,44r appears

How the result of the search is displayed

Displaying information on the works

1. The name of the artist or originator. Click on the blue cross to see information on the dates of birth and death and the nationality of the artist. You will here also find other names by which the artist might be known. And you can also follow a link to a biography of the artist in The Thorvaldsen Letter Archives if the artist is also referred to there.
2. Title. The motif or subject represented in the work. The year indicates the work’s date.
3. Information on any relationship between this work and another artist’s work or another artefact.
4. Information on the material(s) of which the work is made and, in certain cases, also on the tools used. For instance, a drawing can be accompanied by the words “Pen and ink on paper”. Information on the work’s measurements is provided either in mm or cm.
5. Inv.no.
6. Works related to this work and which are to be found in places other than Thorvaldsens Museum. Information on the artist’s name, motif, dating, materials and the location of the work.
7. Click to enlarge photo.
8. Link to The Thorvaldsen Letter Archives, which are also to be found on the Thorvaldsens Museum homepage. There will be a link to The Thorvaldsen Letter Archives when there is a reference to the displayed work in a letter in The Thorvaldsen Letter Archives.

The information in points 2, 4 and 5 appears in the display of all works. However, there is not always relevant information on the other points. When there is no relevant information on a point, the point is not displayed.

Displaying information on the ancient artefacts

The way in which the ancient artefacts are displayed differs only in a few ways from the display of the other works.

1. The originator or the originating group if known. If there is no authentic information on the work’s origins, no information is provided. This applies to many objects in the collection of ancient artefacts, as in the example shown here.
2. Information on the type and motif or subject of the artefact.
3. Information on culture and dating if there is a reliable basis for this.
4. Information on any relationship between this work and others. For instance, you will be told here if a Roman sculpture was based on earlier Greek models (i.e. what is known as a “Roman copy”).
5. Information on the material(s) of which the work is made. Information on the work’s measurements is provided in either mm or cm.
6. Inv.no.
7. Information on works outside Thorvaldsens Museum that are related to the work displayed. You are here told about the originator if known and about motif, dating and materials together with the museum or locality where the work is to be found.
8. Click to enlarge photo.

The information contained in points 2, 5 and 6 appears in the display of all works. However, there is not always relevant information on the other points. When there is no relevant information on a point, the point is not displayed.

How to save the search result

You can save the search result by copying the web address in the navigation bar. When you need to see the result again, all you need to do is to enter the address again. If more hits have become available on your search since you last searched, they will be included in the new view.

How to view several images on screen at the same time

This is relevant if you wish to compare search results. The example below consists of two pictures of which the first shows the display of a single work, while the following picture shows a comparison between two works. It is possible to compare as many works at once as you wish. (If there are problems in displaying them, this might be because of your computer’s browser settings. Read more on browser settings here).

The screen picture above shows the Thorvaldsen Medal, inv. no. F13. The text refers to Thorvaldsen’s sculpture Cupid with the Lyre because it is stamped on the medal. The sculpture has the inv. no. A786.

If you wish to compare medal and sculpture, click first on Enlarge photo which will open in a new window. Then start a new search on inv. no. A786. You will now be able to compare the motif in the enlarged photo of the medal with the sculpture of Cupid with the Lyre. The display on the screen will then look as seen below.

Recommended browser settings

Recommended browser
Searching in The collections can be carried out using all current browsers, but is specially designed for Firefox, which is recommended and can be downloaded here for free.

Recommended browser settings
If you wish to highlight used links, you should set your browser to remember pages visited for at least one day. If you do not wish to mark them, the browser should be set to no days. In most browsers, this is done by going to Functions and (Internet) Settings and then setting the time frame for the browser’s memory.

Usefull links

KID: Kunstindeks Danmark is the central register of works of art in museums owned by or subsidised by the Danish State. Thorvaldsens Museum has chosen to establish links between the works in Thorvaldsens Museum that belong together in a single work process – for instance between drawn sketches, models and finished works in marble. Similarly, links have been established between Thorvaldsen’s works and other artists’ drawings of Thorvaldsen’s sculptures. These links are available in KID, but this function can unfortunately not be displayed in Thorvaldsens Museum’s homepage.
Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon: Encyclopaedia of Danish artists and architects.