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, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and studied art at home before moving to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1772 to study under his cousin

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

and French painter Joseph-Marie Vien. 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 or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

. 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 King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...

for a portrait of

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

, which is now in the

Nationalmuseum Nationalmuseum is the List of national galleries, national gallery of fine arts of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm. The museum's operations stretch far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, including the Natio ...

. 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 Acr ...

'', 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 (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

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

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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 historic research facility headquartered on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chron ...

. Wertmüller was married to Elizabeth Henderson, granddaughter of noted early American painter Gustavus Hesselius, 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, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans Creek where i ...

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

Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania Marcus Hook is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,397 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The current mayor is Gene Taylor. The boroug ...

, aged 60.

Evaluation

His article in ''

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

'' 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 Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

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

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Gre ...

'' (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'' (1784) File:Adolf_Ulrik_Wertmüller,_Portrait_of_Jean-Jacques_Caffieri_(1784).jpg, '' Jean-Jacques Caffieri'' (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) File:Marquise de Santa-Cruz.jpg, '' Mariana Waldstein, Marchioness of Santa Cruz''

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 Painters 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 Members of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture