Anders Been later Andreas von Behn (1650-1730), was a Norwegian painter and court dwarf in service of the Swedish queen dowager

Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (23 October 1636 – 24 November 1715) was Queen of Sweden from 1654 until 1660 as the wife of King Charles X Gustav. She served as regent during the minority of her son, King Charles XI, from 1660 until 1672, ...

. Been was originally from Norway. He was placed in the service of the Swedish Queen Dowager, who had several court dwarfs in her household. In Sweden he was often referred to as "The Dwarf from Norway".Nanna Lundh-Eriksson (1947). Hedvig Eleonora. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand. ISBN His actual tasks have been described as "somewhere between that of a valet and a barber". He was an active painter and is known to have decorated some of the cabinets at

Drottningholm Palace The Drottningholm Palace ( sv, Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm is near the capital Stockholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of Sweden ...

. Eventually, Queen Dowager had him ennobled. In 1709, Been left Sweden furnished with travel funds by the queen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Been, Anders 17th-century Norwegian painters 18th-century Norwegian painters 18th-century male artists People with dwarfism Swedish royal favourites Swedish courtiers 1650 births 1730 deaths Norwegian male painters Norwegian expatriates in Sweden