Willem Swidde Amsterdam c Stockholm 1697

Transcription

1 1 Willem Swidde Amsterdam c Stockholm 1697 Little is known about Swidde s training and early activity. He was recommended by the publisher Nicholas Visscher in Amsterdam to the Swedish quartermaster general Erik Dahlbergh, who needed an engraver for the illustration of his historical and topographical works. Swidde arrived in Sweden in His first task was the engravings for the De Rebus a Carlo Gustavo Sveciae Regis, the history of King Carl X Gustaf of Sweden ( ). Dahlbergh, who had served in the king s military campaigns in Poland, Germany and Denmark, had collected the documentatation and prepared the illustrations. A number of them had been engraved in Paris , but then it came to a halt. The remaining illustrations - 18 of a total of 123 plates - were engraved by Swidde, and the work, with a text written by the German historian Samuel Pufendorf, was published in Nuremberg in In 1690 Lemke also began transferring to the copper Dahlbergh s drawings for a topography of Sweden, the Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna,. This was a larger undertaking that occupied Swidde for the rest of his short life. He produced 76 plates. This meant a closer collaboration with Dahlbergh, who appreciated his capacity as a draftsman and came to rely on his judgment. When he had the opportunity, Swidde confronted Dahlbergh s amateurish drawings with reality and suggested improvements from life - na t leven. In other cases he only corrected the perspective. This collaboration is demonstrated by preserved drawings as well as by the correspondance between the two. Even when there are no drawings to show it, the procedure is borne out by differences between Dahlbergh s drawings and Swidde s etchings. 1 1 B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986 (Summary in English).

2 2 [Swidde] #1 The Second Day of the Battle at Warszaw Pen and brown ink ink, brown wash, irregularly chaped, c. 250x440 mm. RA, Dahlberghs saml., vol. C 1 -C 2, kartor o. ritn., no. 51:3 The troops at the bottom centre, forming a wide curve, is on a separate piece of paper. Vertical folds. Squared in graphite. Watermark: Rider with a hat on a stick. Chain lines: 26 mm. Inscribed in block letters with geographical names, and with names of troups in latin, as well as numbers indicating troups, all in pen and brown ink. Inscriptions in Dutch: At the top left bok de sind p( ) niet, vertically along a undulating line below the troups on the left wat dese bekken dyk(?), and in the swamp on the lower right Moeras, pen and brown ink. Provenance: To the state archives c Bibliography: B. Magnusson, Lemkes bataljmålningar på Drottningholm och deras förlagor, Konsthist. Tidskr, XLIX (1980), p. 125, fig. 8,; B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 70, 74. Etched by Swidde for Pufendorf s De Rebus a Carolo Gustavo, pl. 41. The model for the print consists of three pieces of paper, including drawings for part of the decorative frame, the battle itself, and the foreground staffage. The present drawing of the central and right part of the battle replaced a slightly different one by Erik Dahlbergh, that had a less successful perspective and other

3 3 shortcomings (RA CC 51:2; ref a). Swidde is undobtedly responsible for the improved version with its explanatory notes in Dutch in the same ink as the drawing. His hand is best seen in the lively background landscape, while in the battle itself he was forced to adhere striktly to Dahlbergh. Dahlbergh did not permit any deviations as to the topgraphy and the positions of the troups, In fact, he has retouched the troups drawn at the upper left in a darker ink. He did, however, give his collaborators a free hand regarding other matters. Thus, the painter Johan Philip Lemke invented the cavalry battle that fills the foreground, it is on a separate strip of paper (RA CC 51:1; ref b). Lemke was simultaneously engaged by Dahlbergh to paint a series of battles at the Royal Palace of Drottninghom outside Stocholm. The The second day s action at Warszaw was painted (Drh 143). Ref a Ref b

4 4 [Swidde] #2 Carl X Gustaf s Entry into Landskrona Pen and brown ink, brown wash, 108x355 mm. UUB, Palmskiöld, vol. 305, p Squared in red chalk. Indented recto and verso. Watermark: Foolscap (fragment). Chain lines: 25 mm. Provenance: E. Palmskiöld ( ); Acquired by the Uppsala University Library in Bibliography: B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 72, 75. Etched by Swidde 1689 for Pufendorf s De Rebus a Carolo Gustavo, pl. 90 (the upper part). For the lower part, see the following no.

5 5 [Swidde] #3 Carl X Gustaf s Entry into Malmö Graphite, pen and brown ink, grey wash, 160x413 mm. RA, Dahlberghs saml., vol. C 1 -C 2, kartor o. ritn., no. 60 Vertical fold in the centre. A tear in the right margin, the bottom margin uneven. Squared in pencil and in red chalk. Watermark: Coat of arms (fragment). Chain lines: mm. Inscribed in the drawing with the names of the main buildings (Dahlbergh), and in the lower left margin a trompetters / en keteltrommen (Swidde), pen and brown ink. Provenance: To the state archives c Bibliography: B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 72, 75. Etched by Swidde 1689 for Pufendorf s De Rebus a Carolo Gustavo, pl. 90 (the lower part). This and the previous drawing were originally a single sheet. The indication of a cartouche and the frame pattern is typical of Dahlbergh, but the drawing is by Swidde. However, the squaring in graphite shows that the the drawing was first copied from another drawing, possibly by Dahlbergh, in order to adopt the design to the plate size (the small squares in graphite lie under the drawing). It was then squared again in red chalk (those, larger squares are on top of the drawing). Perhaps a painting by Lemke was also planned, calling for an enlargement, but no such painting is known.

6 6 [Swidde] #4 Ekolsund from the South Pen, point of brush, wash, 234x348 mm. KB, Nescher 91 Losses along the right margin Letter-folded. The foreground traced, outlines in red chalk on the verso. Watermark: Amsterdam coat-of-arms. Chain lines: 24 mm. Provenance: S. L. Gahm Persson ( ): D. G. Nescher ( ); Acquired by the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, II, Stockholm 1966, p. 27, figs. 835 (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 169, 190, fig. 108; B. Magnusson, Sweden illustrated, Baroque Dreams. Art and Vison in Sweden in the Era of Greatness, Uppsala 2003, p.52, fig. 16. The model for one of the two prints in the Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna representing Ekolsund, just north of Stockholm. It was etched by Swidde in 1690 (Plate I:91). The drawing differs radically from Dahlbergh s drawings with its low view-point and meticulously rendered details. It was evidently made by Swidde to show his capacity as an independent draughtsman, and he pointed to the fact

7 7 in a letter to Dahlbergh, where he asked to get the drawing back since he had spent so much work on it: ik vezoeke Uw genaade dat ik dese tekeningh van Ekolsund weeder magh bekomen en voor mij behouden de wijl deselwe seer sindelijk gearbijt is (Jan. 7, 1691). Even if Dahlbergh must have approved of it, it did not conform to his usual way of rendering palaces, so a few years later (1694), he made a new drawing, showing the two L-shaped pavillions in a frontal, symmetrical view. 2 Swidde etched this too, in 1697 (Plate I:90). Only one of the pavillions was ever finished, so Swiddes rendering is the one that corresponds to the actual state at the time. 2 Wallin, op.cit., fig. 829.

8 8 [Swidde] #5 Rosersberg, the Garden Side Graphite, point of brush in grey, grey wash, 222x369 mm. KB, Dahlb. 5:6 Watermark: Fleur-de-lis. Chain lines: 25 mm. Inscribed at the bottom a (indicating the hedge in the foreground) te sien dat dit zoo veel lager kompt om dat het huis grooter kan komen, pen and grey ink. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, II, Stockholm 1966, p. 46, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 170, 193. The model for the plate I:127 of Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Rosersberg was one of the most important palaces near Stockholm, and it is unusually well represented in the Suecia. Dahlbergh had three plates engraved in Paris around In the 1690s the gardens were modernized and expanded, and no less than eight prints were devoted to them. Swidde made the etchings , and his drawing was probably done during that campaign. Most likely it is based on drawings and sketches by others, since the preserved models for the other plates are by Dahlberghs assistant Johan Lithén (two are missing). With the

9 9 characteristic economy of a professional printmaker, Swidde has only finished one half of the symmetrical design. In a letter on March 23, 1696, Dahlbergh wrote to a collaborator that Swidde s rendering of the palace displeased him, becase in his own drawing the building appeared much grander, and grunted that the engraver stubbornly followed his own ideas. Since Swidde s two other views were etched in 1695, Dahlbergh must refer to the present drawing, and that will explain Swidde s note note in the margin, that the hedge should made lower, so that the building looked bigger.

10 10 [Swidde] #6 Sjöö towards the Garden Graphite, point of brush in grey, grey wash, 213x429 mm. KB, Dahlb. 5:25 Watermark: Bend. Chain lines: 28 mm. Inscriptions at the bottom cut off and illegible. Inscribed on the verso Nota. Voor t byten te stoppen / de loden op de voor grond dar te langh was, pen and brown ink. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, II, Stockholm 1966, p. 50, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 170, 193, fig Swidde etched two plates of Sjöö for Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, in This is the model for the second one, plate I:138. The other model is lost. According to Dahlbergh s lists of drawings, both of them were finished by This is a fine example of Swidde s mature style. Thin lines that have not been erazed show the precise perspective construction. Since the garden is symmetrical, one half has been left unfinished. Enough details have been indicated, mostly with the brush,for the engraver to be able to complete the view. The background scenery is indicated with simple but varied strokes of chalk and brush, quite different from Dahlbergh s monotonous manner. Lively and more forceful is the brush work in the two trees framing the scene. The figures in the foreground, that would stand out in the print more darkly etched, have been

11 drawn in pen and ink, sketchily but varying the thickness of the lines. The drawing, though in a sense unfinished, gives an excellent idea of what the finished print would look like. 11

12 12 [Swidde] #7 Gripenberg Graphite, point of brush in grey, grey wash, 204x339 mm. KB, Dahlb. 5:26 Green stains in the centre. No watermark. Chain lines: 24 mm. Inscribed at the top Siöö, pen and brown ink. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, IV, Stockholm 1970, p. 41, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 170, 206. An unfinished drawing for the print III:92 in the Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. The drawing repeats in reverse a preliminary drawing by Dahlbergh. 3 It corresponds in style to the drawings of Rosersberg and Sjöö. Dahlbergh s lists of finished drawings indicate that there was a finished model by 1692, and perhaps this drawings, combined with Dahlberghs own, were deemed sufficient. However it was not engraved til 1704, and then by van der Aveele. He used these drawings 3 Wollin, op.cit., fig

13 13 but made changes to the buildings and modified the foreground. It is not clear if he recorded recent modifications or just imprivised on the unfinished drawings he worked from. In several cases Dahlbergh s assistants gave Swidde drawings to work on, that belonged to the third volume of the Suecia, before the first two volumes were finished. This annoyed Dahlbergh, and in this case it probably explains the delay before it was engraved.

14 14 [Swidde, reworking Dahlbergh] #8 King Erik Knutsson s Chapel at Varnhem Abbey (top), and the Tombstone of the King and Queen (bottom) Graphite, grey wash, pen and brown ink, 271x169 mm. KB, Dahlb. 9:56b All four corners cut. Laid down. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, IV, Stockholm 1970, p. 33, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 169, 205, 251. Model for plate III:69 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Swidde had this and a number of other drawings engraved in Holland in In the upper scene Swidde has only retouched Dahlbergh s neatly finished drawing in pencil and wash, adding the small figures that people the chapel in pen and ink. The scene

15 15 below in pen and ink is in Swidde s hand. He has copied the tomb slab from a clumsy pencil drawing, 4 and added the view with a church on the right, which has nothing to do with Varnhem. 4 Wollin, op.cit. fig

16 16 [Swidde] #9 King Inge s Chapel at Varnhem Abbey (top), and his Tombstone (bottom) Graphite, grey wash, pen and brown ink, 271x169 mm. KB, Dahlb. 9:57 All four corners cut. Laid down. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, IV, Stockholm 1970, p. 34, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 169, 205, 251. Model for plate III:70 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Swidde had this and a number of other drawings engraved in Holland in The upper scene is completely drawn in pencil and wash in Dahlbergh s neat manner. The scene below in pen and ink is in Swidde s hand. As in the previous drawing, he has

17 17 copied the tomb slab from a clumsy pencil drawing, 5 and added the view with a town on the right, which is his own invention. 5 Wollin, op.cit. fig

18 18 [Swidde] #10 Coat of Arms of the Provinces Medelpad, Ångermanland and Gästrikland Pen and grey ink, grey wash, 244x148 mm. KB, Dahlb. 8:24 Ruled framing lines in grey ink. Traced for transfer, traces of red chalk on the verso, as well as grey etching ground. No watermark. Chain lines: 24 mm. Colour notes in the drawing in pen and grey ink: On the left blaauw / velt / 2 witte golven; centre: 3 haringen / blaauw velt; right: en hart / en zoo / veel koegels / als er zijn. Inscribed at the bottom Nota: de vreede veeren bordn / met enkele asseringen al in de lenghte / de lauwe werdn ook enkele, en alles met kloeker naalden / zoo op de plaat te maken, pen and ink. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, III, Stockholm 1968, pp. 45f, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att

19 19 illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 171, 200, 252, fig Model in reverse for plate II:60 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna., engraved in Holland by Müller He is probably identical with Josef Mulder, who is mentioned in Dahlbergh s correspondance. Swiddes notes on the drawing are obviously adressed to the engraver.

20 20 [Swidde] #11 Coat of Arms of the Province of Västerbotten (fragment) Graphite, grey wash, pen and brown ink, 183x209 mm. KB, Dahlb. 8:31a The sheet has been cut diagonally, following the contour of the mountain range in the background. No watermark. Chain lines: 26 mm Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, III, Stockholm 1968, p. 48, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 171, 200. The drawing belonged to the model in reverse for plate II:70 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. It shows the Milky Way and several sodiac signs, including Ursa Maior and Minor with the Polar Star. At some point this elaborate composition must

21 have been discarded, and when van den Aveele finally etched the plate in 1701, only a bear is seen in the sky. 21

22 22 [Swidde] #12 Head of an Elk Graphite, 148x94 mm. KB, Dahlb. 8:31b Verso: Small sketch of a garden parterre with a fountains with the inscription grass(?), pencil (Dahlbergh). Watermark: Amsterdam coat-of-arms. Chain lines: 24 mm. Inscribed in pen and ink (top to bottom): No 1. het verschiet geheel / de beelden; No 2. het verschiet / beelden / potten; de groote faciate wel na te sien. Als bij 1: 2: 3 / te vraagen na de vleugels op de voorplaas / na de dessynen op de seyde. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, III, Stockholm 1968, p. 48, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 171, 200.

23 23 Study for the coat of arms of the province of Västerbotten, plate II:70 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. The profile of the horn is seen in the discarded model for a part of that plate (See previous no.). Curiously the heraldic animal of Västerbotten is a reindeer, not an elk. The inscription has nothing to do with the coat of arms, but refers to a print for the façade and gardens of a palace, and there is a small sketch by Dahlbergh of parts of a garden with fountains on the verso. 6 The way the text is disposed around the elk s head shows that it was drawn first. Dahlbergh s sketch is perhaps for a part of the garden at Eriksberg, whith Swidde etched in He had etched a first plate in 1690 (I:14), and van den Aveele would produce a third in 1699 (I:13). All coat of arms of Sweden s northern provinces appear on Dahlbergh s list of finished drawings, except Västebotten. 6 Wallin, op.cit., fig

24 24 [Swidde, reworking Dahlbergh] #13 The Town of Kalmar Graphite, grey wash, pen and red ink, 210x427 mm. KB, Nescher 303 The drawing is composed of three sheets joined vertically. Watermark: Amsterdam coat-of-arms. Chain lines: 23 mm. Provenance: S. L. Gahm Persson ( ): D. G. Nescher ( ); Acquired by the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, IV, Stockholm 1970, p. 35, fig (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 168, 206, 251, fig Dahlbergh s model for plate III:76 of the Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. The drawing was ready in 1687, and Swidde had it engraved in Holland in As always in this period Dahlbergh used pencil and a light wash, and before sending it off, Swidde made it easier to read by redrawing all outlines in red ink.

25 25 [Swidde, reworking Dahlbergh] #14 Buildings at Järntorget, Stockholm Red chalk, 310x402 mm. KB Dahlb. 2:35verso

26 26 Recto: The State Bank at Järntorget, Stockholm, graphite, grey wash, red chalk. Vertical fold in the centre. Watermark: Seven provincies. Chain lines: 23 mm. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, I, Stockholm 1963, p. 39, figs. 552, 541 (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 163, 186, figs. 102, 104; B. Magnusson, Sweden illustrated, Baroque Dreams. Art and Vison in Sweden in the Era of Greatness, Uppsala 2003, pp.52f, fig. 17. The recto is Erik Dahlberghs model, datable to 1687, for the plate I:54 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Swidde executed the etching in As was his habit, Dahlbergh used pencil and grey wash. Swidde made changes in the perspective and inserted the real buildings on the right instead of Dahlbergh s coulisse-like façades. These buildings are studied by Swidde on the verso of Dahlbergh s drawing. He has also made small sketches in red chalk in the margin of the recto. On January 11, 1691, he wrote to Dahlbergh that he hoped he would approve of the print although he had made changes, adding that it pleased the

27 27 painter Ehrenstrahl: ik heb alles na t leven verandert en bij gedaan, het behaaght de heer Ehrenstraal heel wel. 7 Dahlbergh did approve. 7 KB, Handskr., M 11:3, bunt 11.

28 28 [Swidde, reworking Dahlbergh] #15 Carl Sparre s Palace in Stockholm Graphite, grey wash, black chalk, 320x410 mm. KB Dahlb. 2:34 Composed of two pieces of paper, joined horisontally; however the correspondance of watermark and chain lines show that this was originally one shet, cut and then reassembled again. Stains of green water-colour in the upper left. Watermark: Fleur-de-lis. Chain lines: mm. Inscribed in the upper margin even langh and x zweij pielasters, black chalk. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, I, Stockholm 1963, p. 39, figs (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 165f, 186, fig. 105.

29 The drawing is Erik Dahlbergh s model, in graphite and grey wash, datable 1687, for the plate I:53 in Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. It was modified by Swidde, who etched it in Dahlbergh surrounded the palace with a simple screen of trees, avoiding the complexity of the real surroundings. However, with a few strokes of black chalk Swidde introduced the townscape that could actually be seen beyond the park. He also noted the situation of the palace in a small plan, sketched in the left margin. 29

30 30 [Swidde, reworking Dahlbergh] #16 The Royal Palace of Drottningholm Graphite, grey wash, black chalk, 297x635 mm. KB Dahlb. 3:49 The drawing is composed of two sheets. The inscription at the bottom is on a separate piece of paper. Several vertical folds. Watermark: Amsterdam coat-of-arms. Chain lines: 26 mm. Inscribed at the bottom Icon Magnificentissimi Palatii Drottningholmensis, cum omnibus circumcirca amoenitatibus / DROTT (Dahlbergh), and het woort drottningholm moet in Capitaal letters syn gelyk ik op de ploot geschetset heb (Dahlbergh), both pen and brown ink. Provenance: RA (State Archives) from c. 1710; Transferred to the Royal Library in Bibliography: S. Wallin, Erik Dahlberg. Teckningarna till Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna, II, Stockholm 1966, p. 27, figs. 778, 777 (no attr.); B. Magnusson, Att illustrera fäderneslandet, Ars Suetica 10, Uppsala 1986, pp. 167f, 189. Dahlbergh s drawing for the print I:79 in the Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Swidde made the etching in He writes in a letter to Dahlbergh on July 8, that he had been to the palace outside Stockholm to confront the drawing and make the necessary changes: ik heb met de tekeningh na drottningholm geweest, en alles geobserwert en getekent. Swidde added a background landscape of his own and indicated with e few strokes that the trees in the formal garden ought to be full grown (although they were newly planted). He also suggested this in his letter: de boomen in de gaarden dunkt mij beter zoo vollwassen te vertoonen.