The Thorvaldsen Collection at Nysø

For the last six years of his life, from 1838 to 1844, Thorvaldsen spent much of his time living at the country mansion of Nysø in Southern Zealand. Here, he executed a number of his last works. Several of these can today be seen at Nysø, where a small museum has been established in one of the side wings dedicated to Thorvaldsen and with its main emphasis on the works from the Nysø period.

The Stampe Family

Nysø is situated close to Præstø in Southern Zealand and was the place where Thorvaldsen sought refuge when he found himself surrounded by too much noise and fuss in Copenhagen. He was a close friend of the owners of the estate, Baron Henrik Stampe and his wife Christine Stampe, and the mansion soon became the sculptor’s second home. Baroness Stampe had a workshop set up in the main building and built a small studio for Thorvaldsen in the garden. This studio, which is reminiscent in style of a pavilion, is still in existence.

The Nysø Collection

The Thorvaldsen Collection at Nysø was established in 1926. It contains a number of unique clay models in addition to sculptures and drawings, most of which were made during Thorvaldsen’s final years. The collection owes its existence to Christine Stampe, who saved the models from destruction. It was normal for the clay to be re-used when a piece of sculpture had been cast in plaster, but Baroness Stampe saved the clay sketches from Thorvaldsen’s customary recycling by having them fired in the estate brickworks. The Nysø Collection also contains drawings by other artists of the Golden Age, who were visitors to Nysø during the same period.

The museum is situated in the east wing of the estate farm.