Jason with the Golden Fleece (Thorvaldsen)
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| Jason with the Golden Fleece | |
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| Artist | Bertel Thorvaldsen |
| Year | 1803 |
| Type | Marble |
| Dimensions | 242 cm × 44 cm (95 in × 17 in) |
| Location | Thorvaldsen Museum |
Jason with the Golden Fleece is a sculpture by Bertel Thorvaldsen. A lifesize clay version created in 1803 is considered to be the artist's first great work. The larger marble statue, reaching a height of 242 cm (95 in), was however not completed until 1828.[1][2]
The sculpture expresses the principle themes of the Ancient Greek myth of Jason recounted by the Alexandrian poet Apollonius of Rhodes, about a hero who traveled on a voyage in search of the Golden Fleece in an attempt to help his father recover his kingdom from King Pelias.[3] A vase painting of Jason from the 3rd century BC depicts Jason removing the Golden Fleece from the sacred tree.[4]
Thorvaldsen's work was initially executed for the Copenhagen Academy to demonstrate his progress; a marble version was subsequently commissioned by Thomas Hope, a wealthy English art patron.[5] When Hope's eventual heirs dispersed his collection at Deepdene, Surrey, in 1917, it was acquired by Copenhagen's Thorvaldsen Museum at auction.[6]
The work
Considered to be Thorvaldsen's breakthrough work, the statue's theme stems from a drawing of Jason and the Golden Fleece by Asmus Jacob Carstens but the esthetic of the nude figure is also inspired by the Apollo Belvedere and Doryphoros, both from antiquity; the archaeologist Georg Zoëga also played an important role, expanding Thorwaldsen's knowledge of ancient history and culture.[7]
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