Anna Amalia von Helvig (August 16, 1776 – September 17, 1831) was a German and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
artist, writer, translator, socialite,
Salonist
A salon is a gathering of people held by an inspiring host. During the gathering they amuse one another and increase their knowledge through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "e ...
and culture personality. She is known as an inspiration for many artists. She was a member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, archite ...
.
Biography
She was born to
Baron Carl Christoph von Imhoff of the aristocratic
Imhoff family
The Imhoff, Imhof or Im Hof family is a noble patrician family that belonged to the wealthy trading dynasties and ruling oligarchy in the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg during its ''Golden Age'' in the Renaissance. The ''Imhoff Trading Company'' ...
and Luise von Schardt, the niece of
Charlotte von Stein
Charlotte Albertine Ernestine von Stein (also mentioned as ''Charlotta Ernestina Bernadina von Stein'' ), born von Schardt; 25 December 1742, Eisenach – 6 January 1827, Weimar, was a lady-in-waiting at the court in Weimar and a close friend to ...
. In 1791, she was introduced to the court of
Charles Augustus, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Karl August, sometimes anglicised as Charles Augustus (3 September 1757 – 14 June 1828), was the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar and of Saxe-Eisenach (in personal union) from 1758, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from its creation (as a political un ...
in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
, where she belonged to the court of Charles' mother
Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...
. She was given a good artistic education and was encouraged by
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...
and
Schiller to write poems.
Married in 1803 to General Karl Gottfried von Helvig, she moved to
Stockholm in 1804, where she established a
salon and became a known personality in the capital's cultural life. She was elected to the Academy of Arts in 1804 and took part in several of its exhibitions between 1804 and 1810. She returned to Germany in 1810, but spent the years from 1814 to 1816 in Sweden, where she resided in
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the c ...
as a part of the circle around the salonist
Malla Silfverstolpe
Magdalena Sofia "Malla" Silfverstolpe (''née'' Montgomery; 8 February 1782 – 17 January 1861) was a Swedish writer and salon hostess. Her house in Uppsala was a meeting place for many prominent writers, composers and intellectuals. Her diar ...
. Her friendship with
Erik Gustaf Geijer
Erik Gustaf Geijer (12 January 1783 – 23 April 1847) was a Swedish writer, historian, poet, romantic critic of political economy, philosopher, and composer. His writings served to promote Swedish National Romanticism. He was an influential ...
and
Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom (19 January 1790 in Åsbo, Östergötland – 21 July 1855) was a Swedish romantic poet, and a member of the Swedish Academy.
Life
He was son of a country parson, was born in the province of Ostergotland on 19 Ja ...
has been much discussed, and she is portrayed as a source of inspiration for many artists; she held a correspondence with Swedish artists after she returned to Germany. In
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, she established one of the most important literary salons of the early 19th century.
In culture
Carina Burman
Carina Burman (born 1960) is a Swedish novelist and literature scholar. Her research has been focused on Swedish 18th and 19th century literature. She completed her Ph.D. in literature in Uppsala in 1988 with a dissertation on the Gustavian write ...
portraits the relationship between Amalia von Helvig and Gustaf Geijer in the novel ''Islandet'' (2001).
See also
*
Christina Charlotta Cederström Christina may refer to:
People
* Christina (given name), shared by several people
* Christina (surname), shared by several people
Places
* Christina, Montana, unincorporated community, United States
* Christina, British Columbia, Canada
* Chr ...
*
List of German women artists
This is a list of women artists who were born in Germany or whose artworks are closely associated with that country.
A
* Louise Abel (1841–1907), German-born Norwegian photographer
*Tomma Abts (born 1967), abstract painter
* Elisabeth von Adl ...
References
Sources
* Österberg, Carin et al., ''Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare'' (Swedish women) Lund: Signum 1990. ()
* Svenskt konstnärslexikon (Swedish Art dictionary) Allhems Förlag, Malmö (1952)
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helvig, Amalia von
1776 births
1831 deaths
19th-century German women writers
German socialites
German salon-holders
19th-century Swedish writers
18th-century Swedish writers
18th-century German writers
German women artists
Swedish women artists
18th-century German women writers
19th-century German writers
19th-century Swedish women writers
18th-century Swedish women writers