Thorvaldsen was an outstanding representative of the Neoclassical period in sculpture.
Thorvaldsen produced some striking and affecting statues of historic figures, including two in Warsaw, Poland: an equestrian statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski that now stands before the Presidential Palace; and the seated Nicolaus Copernicus, before the Polish Academy of Sciences building-both located on Warsaw's Krakowskie Przedmieście.