Thorvaldsens Kristus i landsbykirkeme: Altertavle eller ej?

Resumé

The article takes as its point of departure a work about Thorvaldsen’s statue of Christ, published in connection with an exhibition of sketches for the adornment of the cathedral of Our Lady in Copenhagen. The two chapters that deal with opinions of the Christ-figure are commented upon and supplemented. Furthermore, a couple of examples of opinions from the eighteen hundred and fifties are provided. One concerns a church owner who considered a copy of Thorvaldsen’s statue to be a fully satisfactory substitute for an altarpiece; but who met with refusal on the part of the supervisory authority. The figure was, however, deemed acceptable when it was combined with an altar-piece, on the ground that the right attitude of devotion must be supposed to be ”better attainable by means of painting than by means ofsculpture”. There follows a discussion of some of the many churches where copies were ”suitable combined” with an altar-piece; and mention is made of providers of copies in various sizes and materials: marble, plaster, zinc, or bronze. Finally, it is pointed out that in some places early in the 19th century eevn an altar-piece was dispensed with. Some pastors preferred the minister to face the congregation permanently, and they argued, not without success, for removing the altar-table to a position between minister and people.