Louis Gauffier's Portrait of Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt: a Political Or A
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Louis Gauffier’s Portrait of Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt: A Political or a Conspiratorial Painting? j~Öåìë lä~ìëëçå ^ëëçÅá~íÉ mêçÑÉëëçêI aáêÉÅíçê çÑ `çääÉÅíáçåë ~åÇ íÜÉ pïÉÇáëÜ k~íáçå~ä mçêíê~áí d~ääÉêó Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm Volume OM Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Picture Editor Every effort has been made by the publisher to is published with generous support from the Rikard Nordström credit organizations and individuals with regard Friends of the Nationalmuseum. to the supply of photographs. Please notify the Photo Credits publisher regarding corrections. The Nationalmuseum collaborates with © Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig Svenska Dagbladet, Fältman & Malmén (p. NQ ) Graphic Design and Grand Hôtel Stockholm. © The Gothenburg Museum of Art/Hossein BIGG Sehatlou (p. NU ) Items in the Acquisitions section are listed © Malmö Art Museum/Andreas Rasmusson Layout alphabetically by artists’ names, except in the case (p. 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PP ) Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum is published Wife Marie Suzanne Giroust Portraying Henrik © Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris/Jean Tholance annually and contains articles on the history Wilhelm Peill, NTST . Oil on canvas, NPN ñ VUKR cm. (p. PQ ) and theory of art relating to the collections of Donated by the Friends of the Nationalmuseum, © RMN Grand Palais/Musée du Louvre, Paris the Nationalmuseum. Sophia Giesecke Fund, Axel Hirsch Fund (p. PR ) and Mr Stefan Persson and Mrs Denise Persson. © Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Nationalmuseum Nationalmuseum, åã TNQNK Rome/Mauro Coen (Figs, SI NM and NO , Box NSNTS pp. NNQ ÓNNS ) ëÉ ÓNMP OQ Stockholm, Sweden Publisher © Mikael Traung (Fig. T, p. NNQ ) www.nationalmuseum.se Magdalena Gram © Stockholm City Museum (p. NOP ) © Nationalmuseum and the authors http://www.stockholmskallan.se/Soksida/Post/?n Editor id=319 ISSN OMMNJVOPU Janna Herder © Stockholm City Museum/Lennart af Petersens (p. NOQ ) Editorial Committee © http://www.genealogi.se/component/ Mikael Ahlund, Magdalena Gram, Janna Herder, mtree/soedermanland/eskilstuna/ Helena Kåberg and Magnus Olausson. a_zetherstroem_/22850?Itemid=604 (p. NOR ) © http://www.genealogi.se/component/ Photographs mtree/bohuslaen/marstrand/robert-dahlloefs- Natinalmuseum Photographic Studio/Linn atelier/22851?Itemid=604 (p. NOT ) Ahlgren, Erik Cornelius, Anna Danielsson, Cecilia Heisser, Bodil Karlsson, Per-Åke Persson, Sofia Persson and Hans Thorwid. Üáëíçêó ~åÇ íÜÉçêó çÑ ~êíLäçìáë Ö~ìÑÑáÉêÛë éçêíê~áí çÑ Öìëí~Ñ ã~ìêáíò ~êãÑÉäí Louis Gauffier’s Portrait of Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt: A Political or a Conspiratorial Painting? j~Öåìë lä~ìëëçå ^ëëçÅá~íÉ mêçÑÉëëçêI aáêÉÅíçê çÑ `çääÉÅíáçåë ~åÇ íÜÉ pïÉÇáëÜ k~íáçå~ä mçêíê~áí d~ääÉêó Louis Gauffier ( NTSO ÓNUMN ), Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt ( NTRTÓNUNQ ), NTVP . Oil on canvas, RM ñ SRKR cm. Nationalmuseum, åã OSRQK få ÅçååÉÅíáçå with Gustav III’s journey to the resort town he was the only person allowed to address the monarch using of Spa in NTUM , the young baron Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt the familiar du . He was a man of handsome looks, which served (NTRTÓNUNQ ) became the principal favourite in the immediate to reinforce a somewhat narcissistic disposition. According to circle of the king. Like Gustav’s former closest confidant, the the Duchess Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta, though, he was not en - crown equerry Adolf Fredrik Munck, Armfelt was a Finn, and tirely perfect: “Armfelt had a pleasant appearance, but no grace NNV Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm Volume OM OMNP Üáëíçêó ~åÇ íÜÉçêó çÑ ~êíLäçìáë Ö~ìÑÑáÉêÛë éçêíê~áí çÑ Öìëí~Ñ ã~ìêáíò ~êãÑÉäí of figure – the head of an Apollo on an ungainly body, and legs spies for the regency government, including the secretary of lega - like an elephant’s, though he was very agile.” 1 For over a deca - tion, Claes Lagersvärd. 3 de, Armfelt was the most powerful individual at the court of In March NTVP , Armfelt presented his credentials to the pope Gustav III. He thus attracted the envy of many, as became clear in Rome. Florence was his next stop, in April, followed by Venice not least after the king’s death on OV March NTVO . Just before and finally Genoa in August. During this time Armfelt served as he died, Gustav seems to have realised that his brother, Duke host to Princess Sofia Albertina, who was touring Italy incognita as Charles, may have known of a conspiracy against him. He the - the Princess of Vasa. In July, moreover, he was reunited with his refore made a codicil to his will. Through this document, which wife and two children in Florence. has not been preserved, Gustav is said to have compelled his Armfelt used his tour of Italy as an opportunity to establish im - brother, as regent, to retain the provisional government he es - portant political contacts, in particular with Russian and British tablished in the days immediately following the attack on him diplomats. He had already written to the Empress Catherine II in on NS March. The duke’s subsequent decision to annul and late NTVO , seeking her protection and the possibility of entering destroy the dead king’s addition to his will has been interpreted Russian service. Her response had been positive. Armfelt’s in different ways by a succession of Swedish historians, from contacts with the Russians were of particular interest to the spies Elof Tegnér to Erik Lönnroth. 2 From an earlier view that was who were shadowing him. Little by little, his plans became clearer sympathetic to Armfelt, and in fact took his side, more recently to the authorities in Stockholm, as did the circumstances sur - Lönnroth has attempted a more nuanced, source-critical exa - rounding the publication of the Prospectus . The intention was to mination of the historical reality. tighten the noose in Florence. That was where the head of mis - For the purposes of this essay, however, absolute historical truth sion was to be arrested. By then, though, he had reached Naples, is of less importance, since our concern here is with Armfelt’s self- partly unaware of what was brewing. Only when a Swedish warship image, as reflected in a specific portrait. What is clear is that Arm - dropped anchor there for the purpose of conveying him to Swe - felt was well aware that his situation was precarious and that he den did he quickly realise his precarious situation. This was in the would soon end up out in the cold, despite his position as gover - middle of January NTVQ , and Armfelt had to flee Italy head over nor of Stockholm. In July NTVO , therefore, he decided to request heels, with Piranesi and his associates in hot pursuit. five months’ leave of absence. In reality, this marked the start of a The cat-and-mouse game was still under way during Armfelt’s ten-year exodus. Those now in power nipped in the bud anything stay in Florence in September and October NTVP . It was now that Armfelt might have been planning to do during his leave by ap - he placed a series of commissions with artists, seemingly without a pointing him head of mission in Italy in early September, thereby thought for the costs involved, despite in fact having to borrow safely removing him from the political scene in Stockholm. He the money. Most of these artists were Frenchmen, all of them for - himself cannot have been unaware that that was their intention, ced to leave Rome after the anti-French rioting and persecution but at the same time it gave him an opportunity to pursue, from following the execution of Louis XVI in January of that year. One abroad, his own campaign against his enemies in the regency go - of them, the original Bénigne Gagneraux, Armfelt had already vernment. Armfelt’s wish for regime change in Sweden was to in - met in Rome during Gustav III’s visit. Another was the miniaturist volve him both in negotiations in various quarters and in the pu - Antonio Zuccarelli, who painted portraits of Armfelt and his fami - blication of a pamphlet in memory of the dead Gustav III. He did ly, intended for relatives back in Sweden. 4 Others we know only by not pen this political document himself; that would have been too name, like a certain Lefevre, again a miniaturist. Two of the other dangerous. Instead, it was ghostwritten by a French emigrant, the portraits Armfelt commissioned, though, proved all the more Abbé Heral. The pamphlet was printed in Lucca in the summer spectacular in character. The artist in one case was Louis Gauffier, of NTVP , with the title Prospectus d’un ouvrage, ayant pour titre Histoi - who produced a painting that has long been in the Nationalmu - re de la vie et de l’administration de Gustave III, roi de Suède (Prospec - seum’s possession. 5 The other work, by François-Xavier Fabre, has tus of a work, having as its title A History of the Life and Adminis - unfortunately not been preserved. However, the subjects of seve - tration of Gustav III, King of Sweden). Its appearance provoked ral of these commissions and the story of their origins are known much resentment on the part of the regency in Stockholm and to us from the many reports which Francesco Piranesi and his as - suspicion immediately fell on Armfelt, who was placed under clo - sistants wrote to the new authorities in Stockholm.