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Miniature portrait of Charles X, King of Sweden
Alexander Cooper1655 - 1660
The Royal Armoury, Sweden
Stockholm, Sweden
The King Charles X is shown in half length with long black hair and a thin moustache, dressed in a black cuirass and a white pointed collar around his neck. The background is painted bluish grey. The portrait is under glass with a bevelled edge, mounted in a thin gilded silver frame. The portrait is very small, unknown how it could be carried to show the bearers´ admiration or loyalty to the depicted donator. It is not signed.
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Details
- Title: Miniature portrait of Charles X, King of Sweden
- Creator: Alexander Cooper
- Creator Lifespan: 1605 - 1660
- Creator Nationality: English
- Creator Gender: Male
- Creator Death Place: Stockholm
- Creator Birth Place: London(?)
- Date Created: 1655 - 1660
- Provenance: Donation from the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in 1932. From Drottningholm Palace in 1867, from the Royal Treasury 1828.
- Physical Dimensions: W 11 mm, H 12 mm
- Painter: Alexander Cooper
- Artist Info: Alexander Cooper studied miniature painting at the work shop of his uncle John Hoskins. An other uncle was Samuel Cooper – both ranking among the foremost miniaturists of England. These artists had well established connections with continental courts. In collaboration with goldsmiths they furnished their princely customers with miniature portraits surrounded by gold and precious stones that could be carried as jewellery or medallions. Cooper probably arrived to Sweden in 1646 where he stayed until his death. In 1647 Cooper was appointed court miniature painter by Queen Christina. He succeeded David Beck as official court painter when Beck returned to The Hague. Cooper continued to be Queen Christina's miniature painter until 1654, when she resigned the crown. For a period he stayed in Denmark but returned to Sweden in 1656, where he died in 1660.
- Subject Keywords: Miniature, Portrait, Baroque
- Type: Gouache
- External Link: Livrustkammaren
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