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FORGOTTEN GLOBALISM: THE HISTORY OF INFLUENCES IN 18TH CENTURY SWEDEN, AS TOLD BY A
SILVER TEAPOT Final Senior Seminar Essay
GEORGIA GILBERT
HIST498: Curious Things
1
The history of globalism in early modern Western Europe is easily represented by the
goods that helped to build the wealth of these countries and the objects created to handle them.
Because people die, objects are often the only things that remain from the early modern period.
They represent three-dimensional snapshots of time, and the experiences of all who come in
contact with them between this very moment and the moment the idea of the object was formed.
Tea, one of the most predominant and influential imports to Western Europe, is a resource that
inspired the creation of masterwork objects; the introduction of tea into Western society from
China in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Trading Company sparked such a craze that the
effects have led to the word “tea” to be almost synonymous with certain Western cultures. In the
art of utility, the teapot soon became an incredibly well-explored form of expression by both
artists and cosmopolitan aristocrats. The history of both tea and Enlightenment art forms has
been analyzed extensively in the most influential countries of the 18th century, but this hardly
does justice to the extent of the impact of tea on all Western European societies and the objects
produced as a result.
Sweden, rising far above the European continent and brushing the Arctic Circle, is not
often discussed as being a major player in Europe in the 18th century; with a population of only
1.15 million in 1700 it was the largest Nordic country in terms of people but could not compete
with the 5.6 million population in England at the same time.1 Too, tea is not as influential in
modern Sweden as coffee, and Sweden did not produce any incredibly unique baroque or rococo
art styles.2 As a result the history of tea and the art tied to it is not often analyzed in depth. This is
surprising since Sweden boasts some of the most interesting French style silver teapots in the
world after numerous French wars and a massive revolution led to the loss or destruction of
1 Nordstrom, 80. 2 The Chamber of Commerce of East Sweden: Coffee, Tea and Cocoa, 4.
2
millions of invaluable historical silver and gold artifacts from this period. Swedish silversmith
Andréas Lorentzon Wall’s masterpiece – a silver teapot decorated with labyrinthine
ornamentation and dazzling scrollwork – is one such surviving piece; in its lines lies an
unwritten history of Swedish cosmopolitanism and French influence during the 18th century.
To read this teapot as a physical representation of the story of its creation, we must first ask:
who was it created for and why? Currently, the teapot belongs to the Hallwyl museum, or
Hallwylska museet, in Stockholm, Sweden. The museum had been the home of the Von Hallwyl
family of Switzerland – one of Europe’s oldest families – and all of the pieces in the museum
belong to the collection of the late Wilhelmina and Walther von Hallwyl who died in the inter-
war years of the early 20th century. They were one of Sweden’s largest collectors of objects from
all around the world, and their entire collection as well as their home was donated to the Swedish
State in 1920 under the condition that the house and its contents were to remain fundamentally
unchanged.3 The teapot itself, however is older than the museum and the Hallwyl collection –
dating to the early 18th century. From the information provided by the Hallwyl Museum archives,
the teapot had previously been owned by Swedish engineer Carl Robert Lamm (1856-1938),
Swedish Prime Minister Arvid Rutger Posse (1820-1901), and a man named Axel Jakob De la
Guardie is listed as the first owner of the teapot.4
As the oldest owners, the De la Guardie family is where we must turn to learn the story of
Swedish ties to other countries in Europe in 1720. The De la Guardie family was an influential
“new money” aristocratic Swedish family; they were not as powerful as old Swedish families
such as Vasa, Sparre, and Brahe, but they were closely tied to French nobility and aristocracy as
well as significant enough to marry into old Swedish families. Pontus De la Guardie immigrated
3 “The Hallwyl House” 4 “Tekanna”
3
to Sweden from France in the middle of the 16th century.5 He entered into Swedish military
service and became very important, eventually marrying an illegitimate daughter of King John
III of Sweden.6 Their son, Jakob, married into the Brahe family and also held a very successful
military career in which he personally taught “the art of war” to Gustavus I Adolphus the Great
of Sweden.7 For this he was given a hereditary earldom (jarl in Swedish) in the beginning of the
17th century.8
There is only one problem with the archival information: there is no record of any existence
of a man named Axel Jakob in the De la Guardie family of Sweden in the 18th century. This is
most certainly an error – while there is no Axel Jakob, there is an Axel Julius who lived during
this time period. However, there are still a few discrepancies that throw his ownership into
question. Firstly, Axel Julius De la Guardie died in 1710 – a decade too early to have owned a
piece completed in 1720. Creating a silver teapot in the 18th century, even at this level of
craftsmanship, did not take 10 years to complete.9 And secondly, there is absolutely no way Axel
could have afforded such a lavish creation.
The De la Guardie family was financially ruined during the reign of Charles XI because of
the 1680 reduktion – the forced return of gifts made by the crown to aristocracy.10 As one
historian put it, “Charles XI’s reduktion hit the [sic] De la Guardies harder than any other family
among the [Swedish] nobility.”11 Axel Julius De la Guardie’s father, a great patron of the arts in
Sweden, was fined around 35,000 riksdaler.12 While the true value of this amount is impossible
5 Lindstrom, 90. 6 Roberts, Greatness, 203. 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 “Journeyman silversmith” 10 Roberts, Greatness, 235-237. 11 Ibid., 234. 12 Ibid., 236.
4
to convert into modern currency, we can estimate that the buying power of £1 in 1720 is the
rough equivalent of £130.40 in 2013.13 As of 1:24PM PST 27 February 2015, the conversion rate
on google between GBP and USD was 0.71025%. This gives us a very rough estimate of 1
pound of silver (£1) in 1720 having the purchasing power of around $201 in modern US
currency. Swedish currency, the riksdaler in particular, had a value of 4.44 to £1 in 1709.14
Because this is a very rough estimate, we will assume that this value does not change too much
within an 11 year period (though this is highly unlikely to be the case). Under this assumption,
the De la Guardie family’s fine of 35,000 riksdaler very roughly estimates to around $1.45
million (US) today.
This act completely devastated the De la Guardie family. The price that this teapot would
have fetched – being a masterpiece of French style silversmithing – could not have been afforded
by Axel Julius De la Guardie and the meagre fortune he inherited from his father. What is more
likely is that the piece was actually commissioned by the son of Axel Julius, Magnus Julius. The
De la Guardie family only owned one very small estate until Magnus Julius married Hedvig
Catharina Lilje, granddaughter of the incredibly wealthy Swedish aristocrat Fabian Wrede, in
1709. Hedvig helped to restore the former glory of the De la Guardie family by bringing with
her, “no fewer than eighteen manors as her dowry.”15 This increase in fortune would have
allowed for a much more lavish lifestyle, including the commission or purchase of Andréas
Wall’s masterpiece.
Another important indicator for the ownership of Magnus Julius De la Guardie and his wife
are their heavy ties to France. This would explain why a teapot was created in the French style
13 Officer, MeasuringWorth. 14 Paritius, 316. 15 Ibid., 235.
5
when the French style would not be popular in Sweden
for another decade at least: it was only in the 1730s
when Swedish artists really began to travel to and study
in France in droves and French artists began to practice
their trade in Sweden.16 But Magnus had earlier ties to
France through family, military connections, and as a
member of the “Hat” party in the Swedish
parliament whose aristocratic members were backed
by France and whose policy demanded a strong alliance
with the French government.17 His wife Hedvig, a
popular socialite in Stockholm, opened a French-style
salon, “where Francophile Swedish politicians and
French diplomats” would get together to discuss issues related to Franco-Swedish politics.18 It
was even rumored around this time that Hedvig had taken as her lover the French ambassador
Charles Louis de Biaudos (Count de Casteja), who heavily represented the De la Guardie family
and protected their interests in France.19 Both were open Francophiles, and began their affinity
for French influence long before the rise in popularity of French style art in Sweden.
Now we have two possibilities for potential buyers: Magnus and Hedvig. Even if the head of
house – Magnus – is listed as the owner this does not necessarily mean that he truly owned it.
Women were mostly in the minority for account books of domestic or expensive purchases in
16 Wahlberg, 138. 17 Wolff, 259. 18 Ibid. 19 Lindström, 93.
1: Magnus Julius De la Guardie
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18th century Western Europe even if the objects bought were intended for their use.20 A woman
could use the name of her husband, or a husband could purchase something as a gift for his wife
and use his own name. Tea and the ceremony of tea unquestionably evolved into a very feminine
activity over the 18th century, and women were often thought of as the owners of tea service.21
The time period in which this teapot was created, however, still allowed a kind of gender
neutrality towards tea that would soon vanish. Even so, it was considered acceptable in
aristocratic society for men to enjoy objects thought of as feminine.22 Tea was first introduced to
Europe from China around 1610 through the Dutch East India Company and was considered an
unusual medicinal drink.23 Its popularity was limited at first, sold only in apothecaries and coffee
houses.24 During this time, tea was popular with upper class gentlemen because of its ties to the
“alternative sciences”; consuming products such as tea symbolized a knowledge of foreign
cultures through the understanding of unusual or alien objects – an accomplishment that was
considered very respectable within the upper classes.25 If we look to the teapot’s material – silver
– this could indicate the owner as Magnus rather than Hedvig since silver was seen as masculine
while ceramic or porcelain was quite feminine.26
Now we know who would have commissioned or bought this teapot, but why? How does a
teapot fit in to the household of a rich Swedish Enlightenment era aristocrat? Despite Sweden
usually being overshadowed by their southern European counterparts, its aristocracy and capital
were quite globalized during the 18th century. Following the fashionable European example,
Swedish aristocrats were highly educated in politics and the arts, and were well-travelled, with
20 Vickery, 282-284. 21 Vickery, 273. 22 Ibid., 278. 23 Henmarck, 143. 24 Moxham, 90. 25 Hohenegger, 148. 26 Vickery, 303.
7
especial ties to the Netherlands and France.27 Trade was an important aspect of Swedish society,
and tea as an exotic link to the East was an integral aspect of trade in the beginning of the 1700s.
This exoticism of tea was not to be maintained, however. One of the most prevailing ideas in
the early modern period was that while imperialism would help to domesticate foreign lands to
adopt “civilized” culture as their own, imported exotic goods also had to be domesticated so as to
fit into the mold of proper and respectable Western society and culture.28 With this idea growing
in popularity across an ever-expanding West, “Consumer Revolutions” began throughout Europe
at the end of the 17th century. 29 These were absolutely tied to tea, coffee, and chocolate, as well
as other consumables. Increase in global trade through the formation and growing power of the
East India Trading Companies helped to exponentially increase demand.
In Sweden specifically, commerce and trade became integral to Swedish culture in the
beginning of the 17th century. Swedes had a particular fascination with the Netherlands and their,
“uncanny ability to win wars and get rich...”30 The Dutch model of commercial trade did not
always suit Sweden, but Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna (1583-1654) still emulated and
adapted Dutch models to suit Swedish culture; this resulted in a massively successful
administrative body emulated by countries all across Europe that linked specific mercantile
interests with governance called the Swedish College of Commerce.31 A Swedish East India
Trading Company had been planned in the late 1660s, but only saw formation in 1729 by
Swedish merchant Henrik Konig with the help of foreign capital and shunned English and Dutch
stockholders of other East India Trading Companies.32 Though it was established with foreign
27 Wolff, 2. 28 Hohenegger, 148. 29 Ibid., 192. 30 Thomson, 333. 31 Thomson, 343. 32 De Lannoy, 37.
8
funds and through foreign initiative, it was soon controlled by Swedish natives – “many of whom
belonged to the aristocracy.”33 Too, tea smuggling to the American colonies was especially
prevalent in Sweden so as to avoid heavy English taxes.34 Clearly, the importance of tea in
Sweden exploded in the beginning of the 18th century, right along with other Western European
countries deemed to be influential and important, such as France, the Netherlands and England.
Because tea had no previous history in Sweden, nor anywhere in Western Europe,
silversmiths like Andréas Wall created commissions of tea service based on Chinese, and later
French, English and German models.35 They chose to accentuate forms whose utility and
popularity was proven over the creation of something cutting-edge. This was the same in many
aspects of art during the time period, which is reflected in silversmithing. The quality of Swedish
silverware is, on the whole, above average and was mostly made for the use of wealthy
individuals.36 The Swedish mountains along the border of Norway were incredibly rich in metal
veins including iron and silver, and mining was a long-lasting export.37 Working with metal,
then, was not unfamiliar to many Swedes and led immensely to the wealth of many aristocratic
families which in turn allowed them to spend lavishly on fabulous things for display.
The 17th and 18th centuries in Europe were famous for the extravagance that extended into
almost all aspects of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. In art, this period begins with the
baroque style inspired by a counter-reaction of the Catholic Church to the spreading influence of
Lutheranism throughout Europe during the Reformation.38 The Church’s call for even grander
religious objects for veneration to prove their faith set the artists of Italy, and later Europe, on an
33 Roberts, 275. 34 Moxham, 46. 35 Andrén, 48. 36 Hernmarck, 37. 37 Nordstrom, 127. 38 Schloder, 11.
9
ostentatious journey of vibrancy, wealth, and innovation within their work. The baroque period
in art reached its peak just before the death of King Louis XIV of France in 1715. The Régence
period followed when a reagent ruled France until 1723 when Louis XV became old enough to
take the crown. It was Louis XV who ushered in the rococo style in art, attempting to recapture
the magnificence of his father’s art collections.
Louis XIV was arguably one of the most well-known patrons of the arts, and massively
influenced styles and tastes of the nobility and aristocracy for centuries afterwards. It was Louis
XIV who built the Palace at Versailles, began the trend for “white tie” in men’s fashion, and
supported hundreds of French artists. He was particularly fond of surrounding himself with
priceless objects of silver and gold, including furniture.39 Sadly, many of his commissioned
pieces have been lost because he had, “an unhappy passion for warfare, and wars cost money.”40
Interestingly, Magnus Julius De la Guardie had fought under Louis in one such war – the War of
the Spanish Succession in 1709 – in which irreplaceable and priceless masterpieces of silver and
gold were melted down to pay the heavy price of maintaining an army.41 The aristocracy were
urged to follow the example of the king by melting down their silver and gold pieces and giving
that money to the cause.42 Because of this, and the later French Revolution, most pieces from
Louis XIV’s collection are now lost. This makes surviving pieces around the world, like Wall’s
masterpiece, incredibly important.
39 Hernmark, 7. 40 Ibid., 8. 41 Lindström, 93. 42 Hernmarck, 9.
10
Its pricelessness is extended by just how
difficult it is to categorize it stylistically. What we
can see is that it’s an amazing example of silver in
the French style of the era, like most Swedish
silver beginning in the 1730s.43 There are some
elements taken from Augsburg style as well,
particularly the fluting along the sides and the
dragon’s head spout.44 This is the point when
identification becomes a bit fuzzy. While ornate, the teapot does not have the same ostentatious
ornamentation that is a clear indicator of baroque. Its scrollwork decorations are somewhat
reminiscent of silver pieces produced during Régence; this would make sense since in both
Sweden and France 1720 was a year of hesitance. In France the French Reagent ruled and
commissioned far less artwork than the dead king, and in Sweden the death of Charles XII in
1718 resulted in the collapse of the Swedish Empire at the end of the Great Northern War (1700-
1721) against Russia.45 Despite this, the ornamentation and motifs on Wall’s masterpiece are too
pronounced to be clearly Régence, which favored much more muted decoration seen in the
scrollwork. Neither does it give the same kind of air of restraint nor hesitation as a whole that
stems from Régence works even though it was created during this time. In overall style it seems
to set the middle ground between the opulence from the height of baroque and the flamboyant
sophistication of rococo leaning heavily towards the latter. On the other hand, the piece is very
early to be firmly declared rococo even though it leans stylistically in this direction.
43 Andrén, 48. 44 Ibid., 146. 45 Nordstrom, Scandinavia, 77.
2: Detailing of Andreas Lorentzon Wall's masterpiece teapot. Hallwylska museet. (CC BY-SA)
11
The motifs that run along the bottom are another matter entirely. They are possibly one of the
most interesting aspects of the piece because of their ties to neoclassicism that developed at the
end of the 18th century. The motifs depict six scenes from classical author Ovid’s epic,
Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a great poetic masterpiece that tells the history of the world
until Caesar’s death in Rome and has influenced many writers and artists throughout time and
space such as Shakespeare, Titian, and Chaucer. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell which
scenes are chosen in a single, hazy photograph, but their focus on sexuality is obvious. Ovid’s
epic was a particular favorite among baroque/rococo artists and many themes were inspired by it,
so it is no wonder that Wall, wanting to present classical scenes, chose this work to portray in the
motifs.46 But while the classics were certainly a popular theme in traditional art forms during the
baroque and rococo periods, and even more so in the neoclassical period, the portrayal of
classical scenes in silverwork is incredibly rare to our knowledge. Scenes of nature, or images
linked to family are much more common. Andréas Wall appears to have captured the essence of
all forms of art through the whole of the 18th century in a single, 23 cm teapot.
Let us imagine, then, how the different facets of this teapot speak. Each contour
representative of something greater than itself: a masterpiece of 18th century art as well as a
masterpiece of familiar utility. Through images it hints at the aesthetics of European aristocracy
during the Enlightenment age. This piece stands a perfect, silent counter-argument to those who
might argue that Sweden was not as tied to influential Western European countries in the early
1700s. Its curves whisper the tales of one Swedish family’s ties to France, showing the globalism
and cosmopolitanism of an often-ignored city in Western histories. This teapot is the
embodiment of Sweden’s Age of Liberty and suggests that even though Sweden’s empire had
46 Schloder, 49.
12
fallen early, maybe empire and written histories are not what makes a country great. Perhaps
most importantly it proposes that greatness can be represented in the smallest of things and
comes with the ability to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.
13
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Images
Cover: "Tekanna." Photograph. Hallwyl Museum Archives. Accessed February 23, 2015.
http://emuseumplus.lsh.se/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection
&objectId=16426&viewType=detailView
Figure 1: http://sok.riksarkivet.se/SBL/Presentation.aspx?id=17382
Figure 2: "Tekanna." Photograph. Hallwyl Museum Archives. Accessed February 23, 2015.
http://emuseumplus.lsh.se/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection
&objectId=16426&viewType=detailView