History painting of Gustav Vasa

 

Jenny Nyström: Gustav Vasa as a child in front of king Hans, 1881
Oil painting
Kalmar county museum
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In my previous blog post, I told about the royal medal Richard Hall won while studying at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. The theme of the history painting competition was Gustav Vasa as a child in front of King Hans (also known as King John), and the first prize was shared between Hall and Jenny Nyström (1854-1946). In this article I discuss the content of the winning works and the role of history painting in Sweden at that time.

Jenny Nyström's winning work is discussed in the Konsthistoriepodden podcast in Swedish by Alexandra Fried and Alexandra Herlitz, which is the main source for this article. I have not yet found sources for Hall's version. The Finnish press apparently did not report Hall's victory, as the National Library's digital newspaper archive does not contain any mention of the prize. Maria Görts discusses the role of history painting more generally in her doctoral thesis Det sköna i verklighetens värld: akademisk konstsyn i Sverige under senare delen av 1800-talet, 1999 (Beauty and the world of reality: Academic Aesthetic Attitudes in Sweden during the late Ninteeth Century).

Art Academy and history painting

The Academy of Fine Arts, founded in the 1700s, played a very dominant role in the Swedish visual arts for a long time. It was founded by order of the King and modelled on the French Academy of Fine Arts. The Academy's mission was to provide training in the visual arts and to promote Swedish art. The latter aim was achieved, for example, by organising exhibitions and awarding prizes and grants to artists. Until 1873, the Academy was also responsible for state art acquisitions. The Academy's leading role was not challenged until 1885, when the Opponenterna group began to demand reforms and organise its own exhibitions.

The Swedish art scene in the 19th century was dominated by a hierarchy defined by the Academy: painting was divided into history painting, genre painting and landscape painting. History painting was the most valued form of painting. The same hierarchy applied in many other European countries. The depiction of historical subjects was a way to tell stories of great moments in the history of nations. It was a way of creating a shared understanding of the past. History painting was further divided into secular and symbolic subjects. The encounter between the young Gustav Vasa and King Hans belongs to the category of secular subjects, the latter referring to religious and mythological themes.

The story of Gustav Vasa and King Hans

According to Fried and Herlitz, at the time of the Art Academy competition, there was a desire to portray the important figures of the past as individuals rather than as sublime figures. The priest and historian Anders Fryxell (1795 - 1881) was one of Sweden's most famous historians of the 1880s. He published a 46-volume series of books, Berättelser ur svenska historien (Stories of Swedish History). Fryxell's narratives did not meet scientific criteria, but he was able to describe historical figures vividly. This made the stories popular among history painters of the time.

Jenny Nyström used Fryxell's description as the basis for her painting. It is possible that Hall did the same. The description of Gustav Vasa as a child in front of King Hans is in part three of the book series, Innehållande Lutterska tiden. Afd. 1. Gustaf I and Erik XIV:

Konung Johan var en gång 1499 på besök hos gamle herr Sten och såg der den nio-åriga gossen löpa kring salen. Han kallade honom till sig och betraktade hans sköna och lifliga ansigte, klappade honom slutligen på hufvudet och sade: “Nog blifver du en man uti dina dagar, derest du får lefva”. Sedermera, besinnade gossens utmärkta anlag och höga slägt, fruktade han i honom ett stort framtida hinder för Sveriges kufvande under Danmark. Han begärde derföre af herr Sten att få till Danmark föra det artiga barnet, att der hos kongungen uppfostras.

The description freely translated reads: "King Hans once visited old Master Sten in 1499, and saw a nine-year-old boy running around in the hall. He called the boy to him and looked at his handsome and charming face, and finally patted him on the head and said: 'You will be a great man in your lifetime, if you are allowed to live'. Later, when he noticed his excellent character and high birth, he feared that he would become a great obstacle to the subjugation of Sweden to Denmark. He therefore asked Sten to bring the well-behaved child to Denmark to be brought up by the king." The story ends with Sten Sture refusing to give young Gustav Vasa to the King of Denmark. 

In 1499, Sweden, Denmark and Norway formed the Union of Kalmar. King Hans served as king of the countries. Three years earlier, Sten Sture had lost his position as long-time regent of Sweden. Sweden was part of the Kalmar Union until 1523, but continued to rebel against Denmark. Gustav Vasa became the regent of Sweden in 1521, and two years later Sweden seceded from the Kalmar Union under his leadership. Gustav Vasa was crowned King of Sweden in 1523. He ruled the country for almost four decades.

 

Photograph of Richard Hall's painting Gustav Vasa as a child in front of King Hans, 1881.
Photo: correspondence of Mauri R. Hall, Pori Art Museum archive

Two interpretations

Fryxell's story thus illustrates Gustavus Vasa's ability as a ruler, which the king of an enemy country already noticed when he was a child. Nyström and Hall have both described this situation in their own ways. The imagery of history paintings of the period typically involves a group of people and the fact that every detail of the painting is carefully considered and meaningful. In this text, I will examine only some features of both paintings - to the extent possible when only a black and white photograph of Hall's version is available.

Nyström has depicted King Hans seated on the left-hand side of the picture. Standing in front of him is young Gustav Vasa, with an empty chair behind his back in the right-hand side. On the chair is a sword. The handle of the sword is clearly visible in the picture, because behind the handle is a light-coloured tablecloth. Otherwise, the background of the main characters is dark, and four people can be seen behind the table, watching the scene. To the left of King Hans is the butler, who is bent over to pet the dog.

In the Hall's composition, King Hans is seated on the right-hand side of the picture, with the young Gustav Vasa standing to his left. A woman is seated on the left, with a child and a standing, bearded man beside her. From the man's belt hangs a sword, the hilt of which is gripped by his other hand. The woman and man are probably Sten Sture and his wife Ingeborg Åkersdotter. Behind King Hannu and Gustav Vasa are a table and two people.

In Nyström's version, the composition is more tightly delineated, with King Hans and Gustav Vasa in the foreground. The child confronts his ruler alone and fearlessly. The empty chair refers to the king's throne, and both it and the sword leave no doubt about Gustav Vasa's future role as ruler. The Hall's interpretation is based on four central characters: King Hannu, Gustav Vasa, Sten Sture and Ingeborg Åkersdotter. Sten Sture and the people on both sides of him form a triangle in the composition, of which Sture is the top. Hall has thus emphasised his role as the child's protector. At the same time, the composition is a reminder of Sture's leadership - he served as Sweden's head of state for 24 years.

Finally

The 1881 history painting competition was held at an interesting artistic juncture, when the power of the Academy of Arts was beginning to erode and artists were looking to depict subjects from their everyday environment. However, history painting is an interesting genre, with several narratives intertwined: the historiography of contemporaries, later historical research and writing, and the artist's interpretation of the event. In essence, history paintings are an exercise of power, as historical events are harnessed to achieve the goals of the commissioner.

There is still much to explore in the competition and in Nyström's and Hall's versions that I did not address here. It would also be interesting to find out why J.A.G. Acke's version was acquired for the collection of the Swedish National Museum, but not the winning paintings. More extensive research will also require delving into archival sources.

Johan Axel Gustaf Andersson: King Gustav Vasa of Sweden Being Introduced to King Hans, 1881
Oil on canvas, 110 x 149 cm
Nationalmuseum
Photo: Nationalmuseum