Johan Tobias Sergel (; 7 September 1740 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 ...

– 26 February 1814 in Stockholm) was a

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 ...

neoclassical sculptor.

Sergels torg Sergels torg ("Sergel's Square") is a major public square in Stockholm, Sweden, constructed in the 1960s and named after 18th-century sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, whose workshop was once located north of the square. Overview Sergels torg has ...

, the largest square in the centre of Stockholm and near where his workshop stood, is named after him.

Life

Johan Tobias Sergel was born in Stockholm in 1740. He was the son of the decorator, Christoffer Sergel and Elisabet (née Swyrner), and was the brother of the decorator, Anna Brita Sergel. His first teacher was Pierre Hubert Larchevêsque.New International Encyclopedia, 1905 After studying in Paris, he went to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

.Chisholm, 1911 He stayed in Rome for twelve years and sculpted a number of groups in marble. Besides subjects from classical

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

such as the ''Diomedes Stealing the Palladium'', which he sold to the British collector, Thomas Mansel Talbot, in 1772, he also sculpted a colossal representation of ''The Muse of History Recording the Deeds of Gustavus Adolphus'', in which are depicted the achievements of King

Gustav II Adolf Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 to ...

before the Chancellor,

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre (; 1583–1654), Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a c ...

. It was in Rome also that he modelled the statue of King

Gustav III 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 ...

, subsequently cast in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and purchased by the city of

in 1796. While primarily a sculptor, Sergel (inspired by English artists like

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...

) also drew sequential picture stories, an early form of

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

. Summoned by Gustav III, Sergel returned to Stockholm in 1779 and continued to work there. Among the monuments he created at this time are a tomb for

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

, a monument to Descartes, and a large relief in the church of St. Clarens, representing the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...

. He was an important part of the artistic elite in Stockholm, drawing a portrait of Sweden's bard

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well ...

among others. He had a relationship with the celebrated actress Fredrique Löwen and was possibly the father of one of her children. He died in his native city on 26 February 1814.

Works

Among his works 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 ...

Blasieholmen Blasieholmen is a peninsula in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is located east of Kungsträdgården. Originally a small island, named Käpplingen, it became a peninsula, connected to Norrmalm, during the 17th century. Among the buildings at Blasie ...

, central Stockholm are his monumental sculptures "Diomedes Stealing the Palladium", "The Muse of History Recording the Deeds of Gustavus Adolphus", and a "Bust of Gustavus III". File:Centaure enlacant une bacchante.jpg, Centaur embracing a bacchante, terracotta, 1775-1778 File:Hetsigtkärlekspar.jpg, Passionate couple, wash drawing, n.d. File:Venus och Ankises.jpg , Venus and Anchises, n.d. File:Sergel Kvinna som stiger ur badet.jpg, Woman climbing out of bath, plaster relief, n.d. File:Johan Tobias Sergel, självporträtt från 1793.jpg, Self-portrait with his common-law wife Anna-Rella Hellström and their son Gustav, wash drawing, 1793 File:Johan Tobias Sergel Oxenstierna 02.jpg, Sculpture of Axel Oxenstierna, on the south side of the postament of the Gustav II Adolf monument in Stockholm, bronze, 1796 File:Johan Tobias Sergel - Dansande Backantinna.jpg, Dancing bacchante, crayon on paper, n.d. File:Frantz Hohlenberg by Sergel.jpg, Caricature of Frantz Christopher Henrik Hohlenberg (1764-1804), Danish shipbuilder and naval officer, 1797 File:Karlstads domkyrka altar cross.jpg, Altar cross of Karlstad Cathedral File:Monument_to_King_Gustav_III_of_Sweden_(Stockholm).jpg, Statue of King Gustav III of Sweden, Skeppsbron, Stockholm. Dedicated 1808 File:Suomenlinna Ehrensvard grave.jpg, Tomb of Field Marshal Augustin Ehrensvärd's grave at Suomenlinna, 1805 File:Bellmanskällan 2012bb.jpg, Medallion of

, Bellmanskällan. Bronze

References

Sources

* ;Attribution *

External links

Johan Tobias Sergel
at Lambiek artists archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sergel, Johan Tobias Swedish male sculptors Neoclassical sculptors 1740 births 1814 deaths Age of Liberty people Gustavian era people Swedish cartoonists Artists from Stockholm 18th-century sculptors 18th-century Swedish artists 18th-century Swedish male artists 19th-century Swedish sculptors 19th-century Swedish male artists