Gustaf Lundberg, Countess Brita Christina Wrede Sparre, 1761. Pastell, 64 × 50 cm.

The Delightful 18th Century
Roslin, Hilleström, Sergel and others
3–24 October

Opening hours Mon – Fri 10–18 Sat 12–16

Following a long period of warfare, the arts flourished in Sweden. The formal peace treaties concluding the Great Northern War extended into 1721, and the transition from the Era of Great Power to the Age of Liberty took place between 1719 and 1772. Sweden now entered the Age of Reason, embracing Enlightenment ideas that were admired by the Swedish elite—and, not least, by the royal family. During the latter part of the 18th century, art began to circulate—both internationally and in Stockholm—within a newly established cultural market aimed at the urban bourgeoisie. As the middle class rose to prominence, Swedish research achieved world-leading status through figures such as the botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), the physicist Anders Celsius (1701–1744), and others. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was founded in 1739, established not only to advance the natural sciences but also to explore ways of developing and improving trade, technology, and industry. In 1798, Linnaeus was honoured in Uppsala Cathedral with a memorial monument created by Johan Tobias Sergel (1740–1782), featuring a bronze portrait medallion. Åmells is pleased to present another version of this relief portrait of Linnaeus, dated 1794.

In Stockholm, the resumption of the Royal Palace construction project was a key factor in the development of the arts, particularly through the French artists and craftsmen who introduced the Rococo style to Sweden. The Royal Palace—featuring an Italian Baroque façade designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (1654–1728)—was fully completed in the 1770s, although King Adolf Frederik (1710–1771) and Queen Louisa Ulrika (1720–1782) had already moved in by 1754. Together with King Gustav III (1746–1792), the Queen Mother exerted a significant influence on culture and the artistic scene during the latter part of the century.

Swedish artists began traveling across Europe, and several built careers as court painters. Alexander Roslin (1718–1793)—who was elected a member of the Académie des beaux-arts in 1753 after just over a year in Paris—won international acclaim and shone as the brightest star in the Swedish art world. Back home, the younger artist Pehr Hilleström (1732–1816) gained popularity through his interior scenes, depicting settings ranging from industrial environments to kitchens and drawing rooms.

Around 30 works of 18th-century Swedish art are on display in Åmells’ exhibition The Delightful 18th Century, featuring portraits, landscapes, and interior scenes, as well as drawings and etchings. Visitors encounter works by artists such as Louis Jean Desprez, David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl, Hilleström, Roslin, and Sergel, along with the brothers Elias and Johan Fredrik Martin. Furniture and decorative arts by leading Swedish Rococo cabinetmakers and masters of the Gustavian style are also on display.

Click to read the catalogue

READ THE CATALOGUE HERE (IN SWEDISH)

Selected Works

Alexander Roslin, Maria Josefa av Sachsen (1731–1767),
Oil on relined canvas, 75 × 61 cm. Signed and dated ”le Chev Roslin 1776”.

Alexander Roslin (1718–1793)

Maria Josefa av Sachsen (1731–1767)

Alexander Roslin lived and worked in France for most of his professional life, and despite the French Revolution and its aftermath, he was able to support himself through his art right up until his death at the age of 75. His popularity is clearly evident from the inventory of his estate, which shows that he was, at that time, one of the wealthiest artists in France. This portrait depicts the French Crown Princess Maria Josefa of Saxony (1731–1767), wife of Crown Prince Louis of France (1729–1765) and mother of Louis XVI (1754–1793). The Crown Princess’s marriage was arranged with the help of Louis XV’s (1710–1774) mistress and adviser, Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764). A friendship developed, and Maria Josefa even moved into Madame de Pompadour’s apartment following her husband’s death in 1765.

Louis Jean Desprez,Set design for Act III of "Queen Christina",
Wash drawing on paper with watercolour and white wash, 31 × 41 cm.

Louis Jean Desprez (1743–1804)

Set design for Act III of "Queen Christina"

Desprez was born in Auxerre and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Architecture in the mid-1760s, where he quickly distinguished himself. In 1768, he began his training under the architect and set designer Charles de Wailly, whose influence was to leave a distinct mark on his style.

Queen Christina is a historical drama in four acts with song and dance, based on a draft libretto by King Gustav III, versified by Johan Henrik Kellgren and with ballets by Louis Gallodier, the first ballet master at the Royal Ballet, who had also been recruited from France. The drama about the Swedish queen featured two sets. The one used in the first and second acts depicted De la Gardie’s garden. The set for the third act depicted the entrance hall of the palace chapel (at the old Tre Kronor Palace). Our set design thus depicts the aforementioned entrance hall and, like the other original designs, Desprez had based his work on a pen-and-ink drawing, which was then washed and parts coloured in watercolour, with details highlighted in white.

Pehr Hilleström, A Woman Combing Her Hair in Front of a Mirror
Oil on canvas, 89 × 74.5 cm. Signed ‘Hilleström’.

Pehr Hilleström (1732–1814)

A Woman Combing Her Hair in Front of a Mirror

This interior painting by Pehr Hilleström, which is unusually large for the artist, stands out for its high quality, intimate atmosphere and detailed depiction of an upper-class setting typical of the period. A closer comparison with art-historical literature and Hilleström’s own catalogue raisonné reveals several significant differences from a previously known version of the motif A Woman Combing Her Hair in Front of a Mirror. This suggests that the present, signed painting may be a previously unknown original version, whilst the unsigned painting described by the art historian Gerda Cederblom is likely to be a later copy by the artist himself.

Johan Fredrik Martin, Stockholm as seen from Mose Backe in Södermalm,
Watercolour over line etching, 49 × 72.5 cm, signed J. F. Martin del.

Johan Fredrik Martin (1755–1816)

Stockholm as seen from Mose Backe in Södermalm

Johan Fredrik Martin was the younger brother of Elias Martin and, like him, became a skilled printmaker and watercolourist. It is often difficult to determine which prints were produced by Elias and which by his brother Johan Fredrik. In this case, however, the signature provides a clue. In Stockholm seen from Mose Backe in Södermalm, we see the heart of the city with the Royal Palace, Storkyrkan and the German Church slightly to the left of the centre of the picture. Further to the left, Kungsholmen is just visible, and to the right we see Skepps- and Kastellholmen with Ladugårdslandet and the Royal Djurgården in the background. The foreground consists of Södermalm’s undulating terrain, where a group of people appear to be admiring the view from the Mosebacke terrace.

Johan Tobias Sergel, Carl von Linné,
A profile portrait in relief, in the form of a bronze medallion, 70 cm in diameter. Conceived in 1794.

Johan Tobias Sergel (1740–1814)

Carl von Linné

Johan Tobias Sergel was born in Stockholm. After studying in Paris for a time, he travelled to Rome, where he remained for twelve years and created a number of marble sculptural groups. It was also in Rome that he modelled the statue of Gustav III, which was later cast in bronze and purchased by the City of Stockholm in 1796. In 1798, Linnaeus was honoured in Uppsala Cathedral with a porphyry memorial, created by Sergel and donated by his ‘amici et discipuli’ (friends and disciples); the monument was adorned with a bronze medallion bearing his profile, which is virtually identical to our relief. The medallion in question, which is dated 1794 (and was therefore conceived in that year), appears – alongside the monument in Uppsala – to be the only surviving evidence of this commissioned work.

Gottlieb Iwerson, Secretary
Length 69 cm, depth 44 cm, height 119.5 cm. Signed and dated in the top drawer in ink: “Gottlieb Iwerson 1783”.

Gottlieb Iwerson (1750–1813)

Secretary

Our elegant secretary desk by the master craftsman Gottlien Iwersson is a so-called ‘secrétaire en armoire’ with a base cabinet, veneered in amaranth, rosewood, birch, boxwood, ebony and stained hardwood. It features fire-gilded fittings and a white marble top. The design is straight-lined with bevelled corners resting on gently curved legs. There is a drawer with a braided band at the top; a writing flap with inlays in the form of a portrait medallion with laurel festoons; the cabinet doors feature lion mascarons and laurel pendants, whilst the sides are decorated with floral and mosaic patterns. Ducat mouldings have been fitted along the bevelled corners.

See the artworks in our online gallery

The Delightful 18th Century Roslin, Hilleström, Sergel and others 3–24 October