Bertel ThorvaldsenDanish, 1770–1844Ganymede and the Eagle
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Ganymede and the Eagle” now? Minneapolis Institute of Art, G307, Minneapolis. Yes, on view now. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
Closed· opens tomorrow at 10:00 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
In Greek mythology, Ganymede was cupbearer to the gods, serving them with nectar and ambrosia. As a young prince of Troy, he was abducted by Zeus, ruler of the gods, and carried off to Mount Olympus, the gods’ home, where he became immortal.
An admirer of Greek and Roman art, Bertel Thorvaldsen was one of the foremost neoclassical sculptors of the 1800s. At the age of only eleven, he was accepted into the Royal Danish Academy of Art. In 1797 the excellence of his artwork earned him a royal stipend that enabled him to study in Rome, where he spent a large part of his career.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 66.9
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
In the life of Bertel Thorvaldsen
The whole life1797–1838
“Restores” the Aegina marbles for Prince Ludwig
In his Roman workshop in the Palazzo Barberini Thorvaldsen “restored” the recently discovered Aegina marbles, adding lost arms and heads. On his recommendation the fragments were bought by Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, the future King Ludwig I; the reconstructed pediment groups of the Aegina temple can now be seen in Munich’s Glyptothek.
1819
A triumphal visit to Copenhagen
In 1819 Thorvaldsen visited his native Denmark, and the visit to Copenhagen turned into a genuine triumphal procession. He was also received with enthusiasm in Vienna, Berlin and Warsaw.
1819
Commission for statues of Christ and the Twelve Apostles
In Denmark Thorvaldsen was commissioned to make a colossal series of statues of Christ and the Twelve Apostles for the rebuilding of the Church of Our Lady, destroyed in the British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807. The statues were executed after his return to Rome and completed only in 1838.
29 March 1819
Proposes to Frances Mackenzie; the engagement is broken
On 29 March 1819 Thorvaldsen proposed to Miss Mackenzie, but a month later the engagement was cancelled: he had fallen in love with another woman, Fanny Caspers. Torn between Mackenzie and Anna Maria von Uhden, the mother of his daughter, he never succeeded in making Caspers his wife.
1822
The foremost sculptor after Canova’s death
Thorvaldsen’s work was often compared with Canova’s; after Canova’s death in 1822 he became the foremost artist in neoclassical sculpture.
from 1825
President of the Academy of Saint Luke
From 1825 Thorvaldsen was president of the Academy of Saint Luke in Rome.
