of
Mars, the bust of Mademoiselle Ida Brun, a lovely statue of Psyche, and
his own portrait as a colossal Hermes.

The people of Denmark were growing very impatient at the prolonged
absence of their artist. He had left home a mere boy, and was now famous
over all the world. They wished for his return; a marble quarry had been
discovered in Norway, and even Prince Christian Frederick wrote to
Thorwaldsen to urge his going home. The sculptor wished to go, and even
made some preparations to do so, when he received so important a
commission that it was impossible to leave Rome. This new work was a
frieze for one of the great halls in the Quirinal Palace. He chose the
Entrance of Alexander the Great into Babylon for his subject, and it
proved to be one of the most important works of his life. It was
completed in June, 1812; and though it had been somewhat criticised as
too rough in its finish, when it was elevated to its proper height it
was all that had been expected by the artist's friends; later he
repeated this frieze for his own countrymen. In Rome he was now
frequently called the "Patriarch of Bas-relief." Soon after this he was
made a member of the Imperial Academy of Vienna.

In 1813 Thorwaldsen was again a victim of malignant fever, and visited
the baths of Lucca, in company with the Baron and Baroness von Schubart,
for the benefit of his health. He met many people and received much
honor, especially from the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. His health was
improved, but his old and tried friend, the Baroness von Schubart, died
the winter following; he felt her loss deeply, for she had been his
friend and confidante from the time of his arrival in Rome.

He was always busy, and one after another of his almost numberless works
was finished. In 1815 he made the Achilles and Priam, a relief which is
sometimes called his masterpiece; in the same year he made the famous
and familiar medallions of Night and Morning; it is said that he
conceived the first while awake in a sleepless, restless condition, and
modelled it entirely on the following day; these medallions have been
reproduced in all possible forms--in engravings, on cameos, gems, in
metals, and a variety of marble, plaster, and porcelain.

About this time Thorwaldsen removed to a spacious studio with gardens,
and received pupils, and was overwhelmed with orders, so that he could
not yet go to Denmark, in spite of the urgent letters he received. He
executed many impor