Carl Gustaf Tessin | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byLouis Tocqué, 1741 | |
| Born | (1695-09-05)5 September 1695 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Died | 7 January 1770(1770-01-07) (aged 74) Åkerö Manor, Sweden |
| Spouse | Ulrika Sparre |
| Father | Nicodemus Tessin the Younger |
| Mother | Hedvig Eleonora Stenbock |
| Occupation |
|
CountCarl Gustaf Tessin (5 September 1695 – 7 January 1770) was a Swedishcount andpolitician and son of architectNicodemus Tessin the Younger andHedvig 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 toVienna, and upon his return became prominent in theRiksdag of the Estates, challenging the government. From 1739 to 1742, Tessin served as ambassador toFrance, and proved able to improveFranco-Swedish relations as ambassador; Tessin was considered a friend of the French monarchy during his tenure.
During his time inVersailles, Carl Gustaf Tessin was noted for his cultural patronage, sponsoring numerous artists and musicians. Upon his return toStockholm, 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'sNationalmuseum.[2]
Carl Gustaf Tessin died at his country estate, Åkerö Manor, in 1770; he made numerous contributions to the development ofSwedish culture throughout his life.
Carl Gustaf Tessin was born inStockholm, where his father was an influential royal architect. His father's family were burghers, while his mother came from the nobility; one of his maternal great-great-grandmothers had been born a princess-duchess ofBrunswick-Luneburg. This genealogy led some to regard him as "trash" and a social climber compared to real aristocracy. On the other hand, members of his paternal line had shown high talent artistically and aesthetically; designers, architects, and also political talent. He marriedUlrika Sparre in 1727.
He began his public career in 1723, at which time he was a member of the Holstein faction, which promoted the claims of the youngDuke Carl Frederick of Holstein to the Swedish throne. In 1725 Tessin was appointed ambassador atVienna, and in that capacity counteracted the plans of the Swedish chancellor, CountArvid Horn, for joining the anti-RussianHanoverian Alliance.[3]
During theriksdags of 1726–27 and 1731, Tessin fiercely opposed the government, and his wit, eloquence, and imposing presence made him one of the foremost protagonists of the party subsequently known as "The Hats". From 1735 to 1736 he was again Swedish ambassador at Vienna. During the riksdag of 1738 he was electedmarshal of theRiksdag of the Estates and contributed more than anyone else to the overthrow of theHorn administration the same year.[3]
On the division of the spoil ofpatronage he chose for himself the post of ambassador extraordinary atParis, and from 1739 to 1742 delightedVersailles with his brilliant qualities of grand seigneur, at the same time renewing the traditional alliance betweenFrance and Sweden which had been interrupted for more than sixty years. His political ability, however, was by no means commensurate with his splendid social qualities. It was his sanguine credulity which committed the Hats to their rash and unconsidered war withRussia in 1741–42, though in fairness it must be added that Tessin helped them out of their difficulties again by his adroitness as party leader and his stirring eloquence. He gained his seat in the senate as a reward for his services on this occasion. In 1743 Tessin attempted to reconcile the long outstanding differences between Sweden andDenmark in a special mission toCopenhagen.[4]
In 1744 he was sent at the head of an extraordinary embassade toBerlin to escort toStockholmFrederick the Great's sister,Louisa Ulrika, the chosen bride of the Swedish crown prince,Adolphus Frederick. As a member of the young court, Tessin speedily captivated the royal pair. He also succeeded in extricating the crown prince from the influence of the RussianEmpress Elizabeth of Russia, to whom Adolphus Frederick owed his throne when he becameking of Sweden in 1751, thereby essentially contributing to the maintenance of the independence of Sweden.[1]
He was elected a member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1741. From 1746 to 1752 Tessin was president of thechancellery, 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 Swedishcrown prince, who, as aHolsteiner, 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 atÅkerö Manor, where he died.[1]
He was given theL’Ordre de l’Harmonie.
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 formerPierre Crozat collection.[5][6][7] Being heavily in debt on his return to Sweden, he was obliged to sell part of his collection to the then KingFredrik I, who gave them to QueenLouisa Ulrika. Part of his art collection is now in the SwedishNationalmuseum.[8][9]
The collection was on display in New York at theMorgan Library & Museum, "Treasures from the Nationalmuseum of Sweden: The Collections of Count Tessin."[10]
Art collector, who formed a famous collection of drawings, auctioned after his death in 1741 with a catalogue by P.J.Mariette.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Tessin, Carl Gustaf, Count". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 664–665. This work in turn cites:
