Elias Brenner (18 April 1647 – 16 January 1717) was a Finnish-born Swedish artist, draftsman and

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

. He is especially known for his work as a portrait miniaturist and a

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

Biography

Brenner was born in the parish of Storkyro in

Ostrobothnia County Ostrobothnia County (, ) was a county of the Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power ...

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

Nykarleby Nykarleby (; , ) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. The town is situated in Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population is approximately , while the Jakobstad sub-re ...

and

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

. In 1663, he was enrolled at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

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 ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

by King

Gustav II Adolf Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

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 The Swedish National Heritage Board (; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Culture. The goals of the agen ...

(''Riksantikvarieämbetet''). In 1673, he traveled along with Hadorph to join King

Charles XI of Sweden Charles XI or Carl (; ) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of History of Sweden, Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). He was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden ...

on his extended

Eriksgata Eriksgata (i.e. "Erik's Road") was 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

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. In 1672 he resigned from his position to engage as a

portrait miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting from Renaissance art, usually executed in gouache, Watercolor painting, watercolor, or Vitreous enamel, enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illumin ...

and conduct research as a numismatist. He was appointed miniature painter at the

Royal Court of Sweden The Royal Court () 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. Organizational structure The Royal Court is d ...

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 Sophia Elisabet Brenner (; 29 April 1659 – 14 September 1730) was a Swedish writer, poet, feminist and salon hostess. Biography Sophia Elisabet Brenner was born to the builder Niklas Weber, who was a German immigrant, and Kristina Spoor. Sh ...

(1659–1730). He died in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

during 1717 and was buried at

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

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 from the Swedish Empire Draughtsmen Swedish numismatists Swedish antiquarians 18th-century Swedish historians 17th-century Swedish engravers 18th-century 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 Swedish people of Finnish descent