Carl Abraham Arfwedson (1774-1861) was a Swedish silk merchant, director and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

artist.

Biography

Carl Abraham Arfwedson was born to the rich trade merchant Carl Kristoffer Arfwedson (1735–1826) and Charlotta von Langenberg. He was the brother of

Charlotta Arfwedson Charlotta Arfwedson (5 August 1776 - 8 September 1862) was a Swedish countess and artist. She was politically active and acted as adviser of her second spouse, nobleman Carl Carlsson Mörner (1755–1821). She was a member of the Royal Swedish ...

(1776-1862). His brother-in-law,

Carl Carlsson Mörner Carl Carlsson Mörner (1 December 1755 in Jönköping – 24 June 1821 in Stockholm) was a Swedish nobleman, officer, and politician. After rising through the ranks after being accepted as a cadet in 1771, he was made field marshal in 181 ...

(1755–1821) served as Governor-general of Norway. He was raised to take over the successful trading company '' Tottie & Arfwedson'' of his father and grandfather, and made several study trips abroad. One of them was made to the French firm Clary in

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, where he spent some time employed in the company of Clary, whose daughter

Désirée Clary Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary ( sv, Eugenia Bernhardina Desideria; 8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 5 February 1818 to 8 March 1844 as the wife of King Charles XIV John. Charles John was a former Fre ...

was eventually to be the queen consort of Sweden. He returned to Sweden permanently in 1808 and took over the company as director upon the death of his father in 1826. He was elected to serve as director of the

Swedish East India Company The Swedish East India Company ( sv, Svenska Ostindiska Companiet or ''SOIC'') was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1731 for the purpose of conducting trade with China and the Far East. The venture was inspired by the success of the Dutch East ...

for a period. During the 1810s, he owned the villa Listonhill in Stockholm, which was for a period a center of the burgher upper class society life in the capital. Carl Abraham Arfwedson is also known for his etchings. In 1787, he became a student of Jacob Gillberg (1724-1793) at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine 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, architec ...

. Some of his work is kept at the Gothenborg Art Museum (''Göteborgs Konsthall''. After

Marcelle Tascher de la Pagerie Marcelle may refer to: *Marcelle, a French feminine version of Marcel *1300 Marcelle (1934 CL), a main-belt asteroid *Groupe Marcelle, a Canadian cosmetics company See also * Marcel (disambiguation) * Marcell (disambiguation) Marcell may refer t ...

(1792-1866), the paternal aunt Queen Désirée, left Sweden the queen reportedly felt lonely and isolated. The queen then started to spend more time with Carl Abraham Arfwedson, who had lived in her home during her upbringing and with whom she liked to talk with of France, a friendship which caused rumors that they once had a romance.Lindwall, Lilly: Desideria. Bernadotternas anmoder. Stockholm. Åhlén och Åkerlunds Förlag A.-B. (1919)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arfwedson, Carl Abraham 1774 births 1861 deaths 19th-century Swedish businesspeople Swedish East India Company people