Carl Gustaf Tessin
Carl Gustaf Tessin | |
---|---|
![]() Portrait of Count Tessin by Louis Tocqué, 1741 | |
Born | Stockholm, Sweden | 5 September 1695
Died | 7 January 1770 Åkerö Manor, Sweden | (aged 74)
Nationality | Swedish |
Spouse(s) | Ulrika Sparre |
Father | Nicodemus Tessin the Younger |
Mother | Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock |
Occupation | diplomat, art collector |
Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (5 September 1695 – 7 January 1770) was a Swedish Count and politician and son of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock. He was one of the most brilliant personages of his day, and the most prominent representative of French culture in Sweden. He was also often considered a fine orator.[1]
Carl Gustaf Tessin began his public career in 1723 and was quickly noted for his eloquence and diplomacy. In 1725, he was appointed ambassador to Vienna, and upon his return became prominent in the Riksdag of the Estates, challenging the government. From 1739 to 1742, Tessin served as ambassador to France, and proved able to improve Franco-Swedish relations as ambassador; Tessin was considered a friend of the French monarchy during his tenure.
During his time in Versailles, Carl Gustaf Tessin was noted for his cultural patronage, sponsoring numerous artists and musicians. Upon his return to Stockholm, he continued his work in his native country, building one of Sweden's largest art collections; Tessin's art collection, along with that of his king, Gustav III, became the original core of the collection of Sweden's Nationalmuseum.[2]
Carl Gustaf Tessin died at his country estate, Åkerö Manor, in 1770; he made numerous contributions to the development of Swedish culture throughout his life.
Life

Carl Gustaf Tessin was born in
He began his public career in 1723, at which time he was a member of the Holstein faction, which promoted the claims of the young
During the
On the division of the spoil of
In 1744 he was sent at the head of an extraordinary embassade to
He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1741. From 1746 to 1752 Tessin was president of the chancellery, as the Swedish prime minister was called in those days. His system aimed at a rapprochement with Denmark with the view of counterbalancing the influence of Russia in the north. It was a dignified and prudent policy, but his endeavour to consolidate it by promoting a matrimonial alliance between the two courts alienated the Swedish crown prince, who, as a Holsteiner, nourished an ineradicable hatred of everything Danish. As, moreover, on the accession of Adolphus Frederick in 1751, Tessin refused to countenance any extension of the royal prerogative, the rupture between him and the court became final. On the occasion of the coronation (1752) he resigned the premiership, and in 1754 the governorship of the young crown prince Gustavus also, spending the rest of his days at his estate at Åkerö Manor, where he died.[1]
He was given the
Art collection
Carl Gustaf Tessin was also an art collector. During his mission in Paris he bought many paintings and drawings, including 2000 drawings from the famous 1741 auction of the former
The collection was on display in New York at the Morgan Library & Museum, "Treasures from the Nationalmuseum of Sweden: The Collections of Count Tessin."[10]
Principal works by Tessin
- Tessin och Tessiniana (1st ed. Stockholm, 1819), autobiographical extracts from Tessin's voluminous manuscript Memoirs in 29 volumes.
- K. G. Tessins Dagbok (Stockholm, 1824), further extracts from the same.
- En gammal mans bref til en ung Prins (Stockholm, 1753; English editions, 1755 and 1756), addressed to his pupil, afterwards Gustavus III.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Bain 1911, p. 665.
- ^ "Nationalmuseum – Sveriges konst- och designmuseum". Nationalmuseum (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b Bain 1911, p. 664.
- ^ Bain 1911, pp. 664–665.
- ^ "Pierre Crozat (Biographical details)". British Museum. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
Art collector, who formed a famous collection of drawings, auctioned after his death in 1741 with a catalogue by P.J.Mariette.
- ^ Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm. Vol. 19. 2012. p. 145.
- doi:10.58079/p696. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ "The Art Collection of Carl Gustaf Tessin". nationalmuseum.se. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ "A Swede in Paris in the 18th Century. The Tessin Collection". Louvre. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ "Treasures from the Nationalmuseum of Sweden: The Collections of Count Tessin". Morgan Library. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
References
- Exhibition catalogue, Un Suédois à Paris au XVIIIe siècle – La collection Tessin, Paris, coédition Liénart/Musée du Louvre, 2016.
- Bellamy Charlotte, Carl Gustav Tessin and Culinary Considerations, Le Monde français du dix-huitième siècle: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1, 2016.
- Bellamy Charlotte, Contes suédois, les histoires de Charles-Gustave, Paris, Michel de Maule, 2021. `
- public domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Tessin, Carl Gustaf, Count". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 664–665. This work in turn cites:
- Robert Nisbet Bain (1895), Gustavus III and his Contemporaries, vol. I (London).
- Bernhard von Beskow (1864). Minne af Grefve K. G. Tessin (Stockholm).
- Malmström, Bernhard Elis (1893–1901). Sveriges politiska historia från Konung Karl XIIs död till statshvälfningen 1772 (Stockholm).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
- "The Art Collection of Carl Gustaf Tessin", Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
- "Carl-Gustav Tessin" (in Swedish), Åkerö Säteri, Bettna
- "Carl Gustaf Tessin" (in Swedish), Tessinsallskapet
- [1][2] Archived 15 April 2013 at archive.today Correspondence with Linnaeus, Linnean Society, London
- Carl Gustaf Tessin" (in Swedish), National Library of Sweden
- LIBRIS
- "Tessin, Karl Gustav" in: Nordisk familjebok (1919)