Elias Brenner (18 April 1647 – 16 January 1717) was a Finnish born, Swedish artist, draftsman and antiquarian. He is especially known for his work as a portrait miniaturist and a

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

Biography

Brenner was born in the parish of Storkyro in

Ostrobothnia County Ostrobothnia County (, ) was a county of the Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the ...

, Finland. He was one of twenty children born to vicar Isaacus Henrici Brennerus and Susanna Werenberg. He first went to school in

Nykarleby Nykarleby (; fi, Uusikaarlepyy) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality is bilingual, with the majority speaking Swedish () and the minority Finnish (). The largest employers in the to ...

and Pori. In 1663, he was enrolled at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

where he first studied theology and later archeology. In 1668, he entered service as a draftsman in the Antiquity College (''Antikvitetskollegium'') which had been established at

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...

by King

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during 1667. He became a technical assistant and worked principally for Johan Hadorph (1630–1693) who was director-general of the Swedish National Heritage Board (''Riksantikvarieämbetet''). In 1673, he traveled along with Hadorph to join King

Charles XI of Sweden Charles XI or Carl ( sv, Karl XI; ) was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein- ...

on his extended

Eriksgata Eriksgata (i.e. "Erik's Road") is the tour traditionally taken in the Middle Ages by a newly-elected Swedish king through the important provinces of the realm to have his election confirmed by the local assemblies. The actual election took place ...

which included a trip to

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. In 1672 he resigned from his position to engage as a portrait miniaturist and conduct research as a numismatist. He was appointed miniature painter at the

Royal Court of Sweden The Royal Court of Sweden ( sv, Kungliga Hovstaterna) is the official name for the organisation ( royal households) that supports the monarch, and the royal house. The incumbent monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, is head of the Royal Court. The Royal ...

in 1677. He continued to paint until his death in 1717. In 1691, his great work on Swedish coins ''Thesaurus nummorum Sveo-Gothicorum'' was printed. In the following year on a limited scale it began to be spread by the government as a gift to dignitaries and professionals. Its reception was very good and the book was mentioned with praise in foreign press. Brenner was appointed an extraordinary member of the Swedish Antiquity College in 1692 and received a considerable annual subsidy for his job of "further elaboration and perfection". The following year he was appointed Assessor there with a government salary. A new amended edition of ''Thesaurus'' was issued fourteen years after Brenner's death by Nils Piping. The number of images had then increased from 431 to 574, and histories of Swedish coin collectors and their collections had been added.

Personal life

Brenner was married twice. In 1676, he married Erengerd Stamm (1656–1679). In 1680, he married Swedish writer, poet, and hostess Sophia Elisabet Brenner (1659–1730). He died in Stockholm during 1717 and was buried at

Riddarholm Church Riddarholmen Church ( sv, Riddarholmskyrkan) is the church of the former medieval Greyfriars Monastery in Stockholm, Sweden. The church serves as the final resting place of most Swedish monarchs. Riddarholmen Church is located on the island o ...

in Stockholm.

Gallery

File:Elias Brenner - Portrait of a lady - S 212 - Finnish National Gallery.jpg, Portrait of a lady File:Elias Brenner - Nicodemus Tessin the younger - S 456 - Finnish National Gallery.jpg, Nicodemus Tessin the younger File:Okänd man (Elias Brenner) - Nationalmuseum - 24496.tif, Portrait of a man File:Hartwick Losck (f 1655) (Elias Brenner) - Nationalmuseum - 24183.tif, Hartwick Losck File:Elias Brenner - Bengt Oxenstierna - S-1991-194 - Finnish National Gallery.jpg, Bengt Oxenstierna

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brenner, Elias 1647 births 1717 deaths People from Isokyrö People of the Swedish Empire Numismatists Swedish antiquarians 18th-century Swedish historians Swedish engravers 17th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish male artists Swedish portrait painters Portrait miniaturists Uppsala University alumni 17th-century Swedish historians