Thor Resting with his Hammer

During the first decades of the 19th century, tastes in Northern Europe ran increasingly towards motifs from Norse mythology while classical Mediterranean art remained the stylistic model for the art of sculpture. Freund belongs to the generation that succeeded Bertel Thorvaldsen, whom he served as an assistant at the master’s studio in Rome.

This depiction of Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is rich in contrast and constitutes a break with certain characteristics of Freund’s predecessor’s art. Uniting classical form with innovative subject matter, the Norse motif is petrified, presented in the marble of classical tradition.