Self-Portrait As Pictura by Amalia Von Königsmarck Art Bulletin Of
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Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm Volume 23 Self-portrait as Pictura by Amalia von Königsmarck Eva-Lena Karlsson , Curator, Collections and Swedish National Portrait Gallery Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, © The National Library of Sweden, Stockholm Graphic Design is published with generous support from (Fig. 4, p. 38. Fig. 21, p. 211. Fig. 28, p. 215) BIGG the Friends of the Nationalmuseum. © Alte Nationalgallerie, Berlin (Fig. 2, p. 40) Layout Nationalmuseum collaborates with © Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg Agneta Bervokk Svenska Dagbladet and Grand Hôtel Stockholm. (Fig. 3, p. 41) We would also like to thank FCB Fältman & © Neue Pinakothek, Munich Translation and Language Editing Malmén. (Fig. 5, p. 43) Gabriella Berggren, William Jewson, David Jones © The Morgan Library & Museum, New York and Martin Naylor Cover Illustration (Fig. 4, p. 109. Fig. 32–33, p. 217) Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1783–1853), © The Matthiesen Gallery, London Publishing Danish. “Ciociara”– Portrait of a Roman Country Girl, (Fig. 1, p. 108) Ludvig Florén, Magnus Olausson (Editors) and 1816. Oil on canvas, 52 x 46.5 cm. Purchase: Wiros © The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Ingrid Lindell (Publications Manager) Fund. NM 7334. (Fig. 2, p. 122) © Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum is published Publisher (Fig. 3, p. 123) annually and contains articles on the history and Berndt Arell, Director General © Robilant + Voena theory of art relating to the collections of the (Fig. 4, p. 124) Nationalmuseum. Editor © The Swedish National Archives, Stockholm Ludvig Florén and Magnus Olausson (Fig. 3, p. 204) Nationalmuseum © The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. Box 16176 Editorial Committee Photo: Joshua Ferdinand SE–103 24 Stockholm, Sweden Janna Herder, Linda Hinners, Merit Laine, (Fig. 4, p. 205) www.nationalmuseum.se Lena Munther, Magnus Olausson, Martin Olin, © Musée du Louvre, Paris. RMN-Grand Palais/Art © Nationalmuseum, the authors and the owners of Maria Perers and Lidia Westerberg Olofsson Resource, NY the reproduced works (Fig. 5, p. 205) Photographs © Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna ISSN 2001-9238 Nationalmuseum Photographic Studio/ (Fig. 8, p. 207) Linn Ahlgren, Bodil Beckman, Erik Cornelius, © The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Anna Danielsson, Cecilia Heisser, Sofia Persson, Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Per-Åke Persson and Hans Thorwid Program (Fig. 10, p. 208. Fig. 30, p. 216) Picture Editor © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Rikard Nordström (Fig. 11, p. 208) © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Photo Credits (Fig. 18, p. 210. Fig. 23, p. 212. Fig. 31, p. 216) © Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen © Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia (Fig. 5, p. 21. Fig. 1, p. 36) (Fig. 24, p. 213. Fig. 26, p. 214) © Amsterdams Historisch Museum, Amsterdam © Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis. (Fig. 2, p. 32) John Herron Fund. © Trustees of the British Museum, London (Fig. 25, p. 213) (Fig. 3, p. 33. Fig. 6, p. 38) © Stockholms auktionsverk © The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland (Fig. 8, p. 136) (Fig. 2, p. 36) Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Volume 23, 2016 4 acquisitions/self-portrait as pictura by amalia von königsmarck Self-portrait as Pictura by Amalia von Königsmarck Eva-Lena Karlsson Curator, Collections and Swedish National Portrait Gallery Amalia von Königsmarck (1663– 1740) was a member of a German-Swedish noble family. Her paternal grandfather, Field Marshal Hans Christoff von Königs- marck took part in the Thirty Years’ War on the Swedish side and, as a reward for his contribution, was raised to the status of a Swedish count. Her father, Conrad Christoff von Königsmarck, was a.o. opera- tive in the Swedish possessions of Bremen and Verden. Her uncle, Otto Wilhelm, served in the Venetian forces in the war with the Ottoman Empire. Amalia’s three siblings spread their graces across Europe. Her elder brother Carl Johan died in Greece having previously served with the Maltese forces and having been suspected of planning an assassination in England. Her younger brother, Philip Christoph, disappeared in Hanover without trace following an affair with the Duchess Sophie Dorothea of Braunschweig- Lüneburg. Her sister Aurora rose from being the mistress of August the Strong of Saxony to coadjutrix of the no- ble women’s diocesan convent in Fig. 1 Amalia von Königsmarck (1663–1740), Self-portrait, 1687. Oil on canvas, 101 x 81.5 cm. Purchase: Hedda and N.D. Qvist Fund. Nationalmuseum, Swedish National Portrait Gallery, NMGrh 5120. 117 Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Volume 23, 2016 acquisitions/self-portrait as pictura by amalia von königsmarck Quedlinburg. Aurora’s son, Maurice de sisters.6 The fine arts seem to have played Amalia Königsmarck has portrayed herself Saxe and her descendant George Sand, a more important part in Amalia’s life holding a portrait of Queen Ulrika came to play a significant part in France’s and it is mainly her work that has been Eleonora the Elder. The artist emphasizes history and literature respectively. In preserved. Aurora became better known her role by holding a bunch of paint- contrast to all of these Amalia von for her contributions in the field of brushes in her right hand at the same Königsmarck led a fairly quiet life. She was literature.7 time that she indicates her social stan- born in Stade in the north of Germany but Amalia von Königsmarck painted ding through her costume and jewellery. she spent most of her life in Sweden. She mainly portraits in oils and, possibly, A female figure wearing a laurel wreath had close ties to the Swedish court and her miniatures also.8 Among her models there points to the royal portrait. The scene is wedding to Count Carl Gustaf Lewenhaupt are members of the family including her surveyed by Fama the goddess of rumour in 1689 was attended by the Dowager son Charles Emil Lewenhaupt,9 as well and reputation.16 Queen Hedvig Eleonora, Charles XI and as people from court circles like court A self-portrait, signed 1687, now in the Ulrika Eleonora the Elder. When Amalia mistress Catharina Ebba Horn af collections of the Nationalmuseum, shows von Königsmarck died at Övedskloster Åminne.10 Of particular interest is the fact Amalia von Königsmarck seated at her in 1740 she was the last of her line in that Amalia von Königsmarck painted easel holding brushes and palette. She Sweden.1 several self-portraits.11 In some particular looks straight at the beholder while she Amalia von Königsmarck was an artistic cases there is discussion as to whether puts her brush to the canvas. Her costume dilettante in the best sense of the word. the painting is a self-portrait or not, or is loosely draped; white with a golden In previous centuries the term dilettante whether it should be attributed to another outer garment striped with silver and a did not have the same negative conno- artist,12 but at least three are signed and blue cloak. Hanging in the background is tation that it has today but merely meant therefore indisputable. The numbers a red curtain with a large, golden tassel – somebody who devoted themselves to are remarkable when one considers the just as in many of Ehrenstrahl’s paintings. art or science for their own enjoyment.2 general lack of female self-portraits from The laurel wreath on her head reveals that Tuition in the art of drawing was part of the Caroline period. There are no known this is not just a portrait of the artist in the education of children from noble self-portraits of Anna Maria Ehrenstrahl action, but is also a symbolic image of art. families. Though the intention was not in existence. Anna Maria Thelott, the In his self-portrait from 1691 Ehrenstrahl that they should become professional daughter of an artist, portrayed herself as portrays himself surrounded by two female artists.3 For example, the English publi- an elegantly dressed lady, working at her personifications: Pictura, or painting cation The Ladies Dictionary (1694) claims embroidery in a watercolour in a sketch- itself, and Inventio, the creative idea.17 that drawing, dance, music and reading book from about 1704–09.13 A miniature Pictura is wearing a blue cloak together are suitable pastimes for steering women’s self-portrait by Queen Ulrika Eleonora with a loosely draped white garment with thoughts and actions away from less the Elder gives the impression of being stripes of yellow, red, blue and green. In suitable subjects.4 Basically speaking there a variant copy after one by Pierre Ehrenstrahl’s Allegory of the Regency of the were two educational alternatives open to Signac rather than an independent Dowager Queen Hedvig Eleonora (1692) too, artistically gifted women in Sweden during work of art.14 Pictura is wearing a blue cloak and a dress the 17th century. Women from artistic In terms of composition and execution similar to the one in his self-portrait.18 families, for example David Klöcker it is evident that Amalia von Königsmarck In this painting, Pictura also represents Ehrenstrahl’s daughter Anna Maria, could was influenced by her teacher Ehrenstrahl. Inventio since, according to Ehrenstrahl’s if there was a sympathetic male relative, It is probable that the she also learnt how description, she “zeichnet und inventiret” become a pupil in that artist’s studio. to construct an allegory from him. A suite [draws and invents].19 In Iconologia, Cesare Amateurs from the upper layers of society of six tapestries on allegorical subjects are Ripa’s emblem book, he notes that Pictura could pay for tuition from a professional thought to have been embroidered in the shall be portrayed wearing many-coloured artist. There are several examples of both 1690s based on models by Ehrenstrahl clothing which agrees with the paintings women and men from the royal family and intended for Amalia von Königsmarck by Ehrenstrahl and by Amalia von and the nobility who studied with David and Carl Gustaf Lewenhaupt.