Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller (February 18, 1751 – October 5, 1811) was a Swedish painter whose notable works include ''Danaë receiving Jupiter in a Shower of Gold''. Wertmüller was born in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and studied art at home before moving to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1772 to study under his cousin

Alexander Roslin Alexander Roslin (spelled Alexandre in French, ; 15 July 17185 July 1793) was a Swedish portrait painter who worked in Scania, Bayreuth, Paris, Italy, Warsaw and St. Petersburg, primarily for members of aristocratic families. He combined insight ...

and French painter

Joseph-Marie Vien Joseph-Marie Vien (sometimes anglicised as Joseph-Mary Wien; 18 June 1716 – 27 March 1809) was a French painter. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791. Biography He was born in Montpellier ...

. On July 30, 1784, Wertmüller was elected to the

Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

. Wertmüller was commissioned by

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

for a portrait of

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

, which is now in the

Nationalmuseum Nationalmuseum (or National Museum of Fine Arts) is the national gallery of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm. The museum's operations stretches far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, the nationalmuseum manag ...

at Stockholm. In 1787, he produced his masterpiece ''

Danaë In Greek mythology, Danaë (, ; ; , ) was an Argive princess and mother of the hero Perseus by Zeus. She was credited with founding the city of Ardea in Latium during the Bronze Age. Family Danae was the daughter and only child of King Acris ...

'', a work which proved controversial as one of the earliest female nude paintings exhibited in America. Wertmüller first emigrated to the United States in May 1794 and continued his portrait work, most notably of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, but in 1796 was called back to Sweden, eventually returning to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1800. Elizabeth B. Johnston, in her book ''Original Portraits of Washington'' (Boston, 1882), speaks of five portraits of Washington by Wertmüller, of which one, executed in 1797, was purchased by the U. S. government in 1878, and another is owned by the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...

. Wertmüller was married to Elizabeth Henderson, granddaughter of noted early American painter

Gustavus Hesselius Gustavus Hesselius (1682 – May 25, 1755) was a Swedish-American painter. He was European trained and became a leading artist in the mid-Atlantic colonies during the first half of the eighteenth century. He was among the earliest portrait painte ...

, on January 8, 1801, and two years later retired to a plantation in

Claymont, Delaware Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware. The estimated 2017 population of the 19703 ZIP code, which Claymont encompasses, was 15,292. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans C ...

, where he lived the final years of his life. He died near

Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania Marcus Hook is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 2,397 at the 2010 census. The current mayor is Gene Taylor. The borough calls itself "The Cornerstone of Pennsylvania". The 2005 film ''One Last Thing''... was set an ...

, aged 60.

Evaluation

His article in ''

Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography ''Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'' is a six-volume collection of biographies of notable people involved in the history of the New World. Published between 1887 and 1889, its unsigned articles were widely accepted as authoritative fo ...

'' says (regarding his portraits of Washington): "Though the work of an excellent artist, they are hardly successful as portraits, for Wertmüller belonged to that ideal French school, which usually sacrificed truth to nature for elegance in execution." It later continues: "He was noted especially for his vivid coloring, 'Danae' being a good example of his powers in that respect."

Gallery

File:Danaë and the Shower of Gold (Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller) - Nationalmuseum - 18771.tif, ''

receiving

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

in a Shower of Gold'' (1787) File:Cupid as Bacchus (Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller) - Nationalmuseum - 18036.tif, ''

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

'' (1784) File:Adolf_Ulrik_Wertmüller,_Marie-Antoinette_d'Autriche,_reine_de_France_(1788)_-_002.jpg, ''

in a hunting dress'' (1788) File:Charlotte_Eckerman_by_Adolf_Ulrik_Wertmüller.jpg, ''

Charlotte Eckerman Beata Charlotta "Charlotte" Eckerman (1759 – 16 January 1790 in Stockholm), was a Swedish opera singer and actress. She was also a very well known courtesan during the Gustavian era, and the official royal mistress of Charles XIII of Sweden fr ...

'' (1784) File:Adolf_Ulrik_Wertmüller,_Portrait_of_Jean-Jacques_Caffieri_(1784).jpg, ''

Jean-Jacques Caffieri Jean-Jacques Caffieri (29 April 1725 – 22 June 1792) was a French sculptor. He was appointed ''sculpteur du Roi'' to Louis XV and later afforded lodgings in the Galeries du Louvre. He designed the fine ''rampe d'escalier'' which still adorns the ...

'' (1784) File:Queen Marie Antoinette of France and two of her Children Walking in The Park of Trianon - Nationalmuseum - 18035.tif, ''Marie Antoinette with two of her children'' (1785)

References

External links

Works by: Adolf Ulric WertmüllerA Forgotten Artist: Adolph Wertmüller
by Franklin D. Scott
Three New Sweden Artists: Gustavus Hesselius, Adolph-Ulrich Wertmüller & Paula Himmelsbach Balano
The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives. Papers include an inventory of Wertmüller's paintings at the time of his death and letters from Genet Campan, First Maid of Marie-Antoinette, regarding the portrait Wertmüller painted of Marie-Antoinette and her two children. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wertmuller, Adolf 1751 births 1811 deaths Artists from Stockholm Swedish people of German descent Swedish expatriates in the United States People from Claymont, Delaware American portrait painters Swedish portrait painters 18th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish male artists Swedish male painters 19th-century Swedish painters Painters from Delaware 19th-century Swedish male artists