NEW YORK—A politician, courtier, diplomat, artist, writer, historian, philosopher, and art collector, the Swedish Count Carl Gustaf Tessin (1695–1770) was multitalented but apparently not skilled in balancing his finances. He could not stop himself from buying works of art. In fact, he had to sell 243 of his collected paintings to King Frederick I and most of his collected drawings to Crown Prince Adolf Frederick. Thanks to Tessin’s weakness, his chosen works form the core of the royal collection of Sweden.
Fast-forward three centuries and we are now lucky enough to have access to these works, on display for the first time in North America at The Morgan Library & Museum. “Treasures from the Nationalmuseum of Sweden: The Collections of Count Tessin” runs through May 14.
François Boucher’s ambitious painting, “The Triumph of Venus” (1740), is the centerpiece of the exhibit, but it’s Tessin’s collection of drawings that will take your breath away. Not only does it include eight drawings spanning Rembrandt’s career, but also drawings by Raphael, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Dyck, Filippino Lippi, Jacopo Pontormo, and Jacques Callot, among several other greats.
