2.2 Fijnschilders and Still Life Painters
The approach of the Dutch fijnschilders (fine painters) was known in Sweden from pictures and portraits by Gerard Dou (1613-1675), who had found a munificent protector in the Swedish envoy Pieter Spiering Silfvercrona (1595-1652). Dou remained in the Dutch Republic, but several artists of his school or style went to Sweden. In 1652 Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie (1630-1692) had himself portrayed by Cornelis Picolet (1626-1679) [1].1
In 1658 Toussaint Gelton (c. 1630-1680) arrived in Sweden,2 where he portrayed Karl X Gustav [2] and his sister Maria Euphrosine [3], who was married to Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (1622-1686). He also copied portraits by Wuchters [4]. In the following years he primarily worked as agent for the Danish crown, but in 1663 he was again in Sweden, where the Queen-Regent Hedwig Eleonora and Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie, a brother of the State Chancellor, employed him. A remarkable record of his collaboration with his patron is a small landscape that he rendered following instructions from Pontius De la Gardie. The inscription reads: ‘Conte. Pontes. de la Gardie. inv. T.G. Pinx. Stockholm’.3 It is not known how long he remained in Sweden. However, since three portraits of Karl X Gustav, for which he is paid in 1666, as well as a large number of other works of his remain in Swedish collections, we have to assume that he was there for a longer period of time.4 In any case, he is not encountered in Denmark until 1673, as we have seen above.5
1
possibly Cornelis Picolet or possibly Johan Aureller (I)
Portrait of Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie (1630-1692) in tournament dress, 1651 or 1663
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMGrh 3427
2
Toussaint Gelton
Portrait of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden (1622-1660), dated 1658
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMGrh 1867
3
Toussaint Gelton
Portrait of Maria Euphrosyne De la Gardie (1625-1687), dated 1658
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NM 920
Bartholomeus Maton (1641/6 -after 1684) went to Sweden as wine merchant but was soon back in Leiden. However, Maton must also have painted, and that primarily for the De Geer family, since the Axel Ekman collection in Mo Gård (Finspång) still preserves a large number of his small pictures, which are to have come from the possessions of the De Geers [5-6].6
We meet only two Dutch still-life painters on Swedish soil. One is Cornelis van der Meulen (1642-1692), who lived in Sweden around 1678 to 1686, and the other is Nicolaes van Gelder (c. 1636-c. 1676/77), who worked in Stockholm in 1661; several paintings by Van Gelder are still in Swedish collections.7 Van der Meulen’s specialties were vanitas still lifes and pictures of hunting equipment on which a small letter addressed to the painter has descended [7-8].8 In 1685 and 1686 he painted the two short-lived princes, Gustav and Ulrik, after models by Nicolas Millich (c. 1630-1699) (Gripsholm) [9-13].
4
Toussaint Gelton after Albert Haelwegh after Abraham Wuchters
Portrait of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689), in or after 1661
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMGrh 440
5
Bartholomeus Maton
A sitting woman with a berkemeier glass, a standing man looks on, c. 1679-1682
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NM 7037
6
Bartholomeus Maton
Schoolmaster with two pupils, c. 1679-1684
Private collection
7
Cornelis van der Meulen
Still life with a gun, after 1678
Ericsbergs slott (Katrineholm), private collection C. (Friherre) Bonde
8
Cornelis van der Meulen
Vanitas still life, dated 1681
Ericsbergs slott (Katrineholm), private collection C. (Friherre) Bonde
9
Cornelis van der Meulen
Vanitas still-life with a bust of Gustav (1683-1685), Prince of Sweden, dated 1685
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMGrh 1363
10
Cornelis van der Meulen
Vanitas still-life with a bust of Ulrik (1684-1685), Prince of Sweden, dated 1686
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMGrh 1364
11
Nicolas Millich
Bust of Gustav (1683-1685), Prince of Sweden, 1685
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMDrhSk 124
12
Nicolas Millich
Ulrik (1684-1685), Prince of Sweden, 1685
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. NMDrhSk 125
Notes
1 [Gerson 1942/1983] Communication to the author from Dr. K.E. Steneberg. [Van Leeuwen/Roding 2024] In Steneberg 1955, p. 103, the author quotes Picolet’s bill of September 1651 (not 1652), which is preserved in Lund University Library. Picolet started working for Jacob De la Gardie (1583-1652) on 29 April 1651 and was paid on 30 September for remaining paintings, including portraits of Jacob De la Gardie and of his daughter, a series of six life-size pieces, a painting of the little dog of the countess and 'der Jongen graffe pontus sijn kont[erfeijtsel]' (=a portrait of the young count Pontus Fredrik). According to Steneberg none of these works survived; he attributed the portrait of Pontus Fredrik (fig. 1) to Johan Aureller I, who would have painted it in 1663 after a model of 1652 (by Picolet?). In 1966 Per Bjurström suggested the attribution to Picolet (Bjurström 1966, p. 213, no. 452); this is still maintained on the museum’s website. However, the work is not included in the catalogue of Dutch paintings, Cavalli-Björkman/Fryklund/Sidén 2005.
2 [Gerson 1942/1983] On Gelton in Sweden: Rasmussen 1916; Granberg 1911-1913, vol. 3 (1913) nos. 44-55. [Van Leeuwen/Roding 2024] Toussaint Gelton stayed in 1658 in Göteborg for 10 weeks at the expense of the Swedish king. He received 900 rd. for work that he had made, and 300 rd. compensation (Eller 1971, p. 296, note 38).
3 [Gerson 1942/1983] Granberg 1911-1913, vol. 3 (1913), p. 16, no. 50 (no ill.), Landscape with fauns, oil on copper, 8 x 11 cm, collection G.W. Sandberg in Stockholm. [Van Leeuwen/Roding 2024] For the correspondence between Pontus Fredrik De la Gardie and Toussaint Gelton: Jager 2020.
4 [Van Leeuwen/Roding 204] Gelton is recorded in Sweden in 1663, 1665 and 1666. In February 1663 Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie payed him for several paintings (Hahr 1905, p. 72); on 2 February 1665 he lived on the island Södermalm in Stockholm, 'tegenover de oude veltheerin' (Jager 2020, p. 119); in July 1666 he was commissioned to paint three small paintings of ‘his majesty’, for which he was paid in August (Hahr 1905, p. 72; Strömbom 1943, p. 297, note 3; Jager 2020, p. 110). According to Hahr 1905 and Jager 2020, ‘his majesty’ should be interpreted as the young Karl XI, not as Karl X Gustav, who died in 1660.
5 [Van Leeuwen/Roding 2024] Gerson/Van Leeuwen/Roding et al. 2015, p. 2.13.
6 [Gerson 1942/1983] Granberg 1886A, p. 81. Granberg 1911-1913, vol. 1 (1911), no. 482; vol. 2, nos. 50-60; Granberg 1929-1932, vol. 2 (1930), p. 24-25. [Van Leeuwen/Roding 2024] Only of two of the 11 works by Maton listed in Granberg 1911 images are known, which are illustrated here.
7 [Van Leeuwen/Roding 2024] Not listed in Granberg 1911-1913. On 2 July 1661 his mother authorized him, living in Stockholm, to collect fl. 431 from a certain Gustavus Geijte (a former student at Leiden University?), who owed her this money for rent and board (Thieme/Becker 1907-1950, vol. 13 [1920], p. 361; Bredius notes, RKD). Two works dated 1660 (RKDimages 247958 and RKDimages 247946) may have originated in Sweden.
8 [Gerson 1942/1983] Granberg 1911-1913, vol. 1 (1911), nos. 74-76, vol. 3, nos. 71-75.