Gustavus Hesselius ( – May 25, 1755) was a Swedish-born American painter. He was European trained and became a leading artist in the mid-Atlantic colonies during the first half of the eighteenth century. He was among the earliest portrait painters and organ builders in the United States. He was named to the

Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

Hall of Fame by the Prince George's County Historical Society.

Biography

Hesselius was born in Folkärna parish at

Avesta The Avesta (, Book Pahlavi: (), Persian language, Persian: ()) is the text corpus of Zoroastrian literature, religious literature of Zoroastrianism. All its texts are composed in the Avestan language and written in the Avestan alphabet. Mod ...

Dalarna County Dalarna County () is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden (Svealand). It borders on the counties of Uppsala, Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It also borders on the Norwegian counties of Hedmark and Trøndelag to ...

, Sweden. He was the son of Andreas Olai Hesselius (1644-1700) and his wife Maria Bergia (c. 1658-1717). His father was the vicar at Folkärna Church. His mother was the sister-in-law of

Jesper Swedberg Jesper Swedberg (28 August 1653 (O.S)–26 July 1735 (N.S)) was a bishop of Skara, Sweden. He was one of Sweden's most notable churchmen. He published the first edition ever of a Swedish book of hymns in 1694, and was the father of scientist and m ...

(1653–1735), Bishop of the

Diocese of Skara The Diocese of Skara () is the oldest existing diocese in Sweden. It was originally a Latin bishopric of the Roman Catholic church, but since the Protestant Reformation has been a Lutheran diocese within the Church of Sweden, with its seat in S ...

and aunt of religious leader

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (; ; born Emanuel Swedberg; (29 January 168829 March 1772) was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mysticism, mystic. He became best known for his book on the ...

. Hesselius had studied art in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and probably in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He came to

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

in 1711 together with his elder brother Andreas Hesselius (1677-1733). His brother had been appointed to become parish priest of Holy Trinity Church, the Swedish Lutheran parish at

Fort Christina Fort Christina, also called Fort Altena, was the first Sweden, Swedish settlement in North America and the principal settlement of the New Sweden colony. Built in 1638 and named after Christina, Queen of Sweden, it was located approximately 1&nb ...

. He lived in Delaware until 1717, then moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

where he lived until 1721. In 1721, he moved to

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

and became a portrait painter. That same year, he received the first recorded public art commission in the American colonies; he painted ''

The Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, '' The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic, 700 x 880 cm (22.9 x 28.8 ...

''. He also painted a ''

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

''. Some time around 1735, Hesselius returned to Philadelphia where he spent the rest of his life. He also worked as an organ builder, having built an organ for the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

in 1746. From about this time on, he focused on building organs with the assistance of John Clemm (1690–1762). He referred painting commissions to his son John.

Personal life

Gustavus Hesselius was married to Lydia Getchie (1684-1755). He was the father of painter

John Hesselius John Hesselius (1728–1778) was an American portrait painter who worked mostly in Virginia and Maryland. He was the son of the sweden, Swedish-born portraitist Gustavus Hesselius. He painted the portraits of many wealthy politicians and planter ...

(1728–1778). His granddaughter Elizabeth Henderson was married to artist

Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller (February 18, 1751 – October 5, 1811) was a Swedish painter whose notable works include ''Danaë receiving Jupiter in a Shower of Gold''. Wertmüller was born in Stockholm and studied art at home before moving to Paris i ...

(1751-1811). Hesselius was listed as a member of the

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes, is a historic church located in the Southwark, Philadelphia, Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Chris ...

in Philadelphia. He died during 1755 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and was buried on the 25th at Gloria Dei Church.

Style

While most of his portraits adhere to the formality typical for American portrait painting of his time, according to Michael J. Lewis, his portrait of Lappawinsoe, chief of the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

, was among the first to foreshadow "the sympathetic and unaffected realism" that would later develop in American portraiture. The painter was able to ignore the rigid conventions of colonial society because Lappawinsoe was a member of a First Nation.

''The Last Supper''

''The Last Supper'' by Gustavus Hesselius was the first recorded public art commission in the American colonies. Commissioned in October 1721, it is displayed on the choir gallery of St. Barnabas Church, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Before this, most painting in the new world had been portraits. ''The Last Supper'' was the first significant American painting to depict a scene. The painting which measures 35 inches by 117½ inches was commissioned for an older church built in 1710, and remained there until the present structure was built in 1774. It disappeared during the construction of the new Brick Church and did not surface again until it was discovered in a private collection in 1848 or 1914, when Charles Henry Hart identified it, depending on which source one follows. It was on loan by Rose Neel Warrington for a period at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at ...

and at the

American Swedish Historical Museum The American Swedish Historical Museum is the oldest Swedish-American museum in the United States. It is located in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in South Philadelphia, on part of a historic 17th-century land grant originally provided by Q ...

as well as the Exhibition of Early American Paintings at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences in 1917 and the

Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts The Delaware Art Museum is an art museum located on the Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington, Delaware, which holds a collection of more than 12,000 objects. The museum was founded in 1912 as the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts in honor of the arti ...

. The painting was willed once again to St. Barnabas upon Warrington's death.

Gallery

File:Gustavus Hesselius-Lapowinsa (larger).jpg, ''Portrait of Lappawinsoe'', (1735). Benjamin Fendall I, Esq 2.GIF, ''Portrait of Benjamin Fendall I'' Eleanor (Lee) Fendall.JPG, ''Portrait of Eleanor Fendall'' Mary Darnall Carroll.jpg, ''Portrait of Mary Darnall Carroll'' Attributed to Gustavus Hesselius - Dr. Gustavus Brown - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Portrait of Dr. Gustavus Brown''; attributed to Gustavus Hesselius Attributed to Gustavus Hesselius - Mrs. Gustavus Brown - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Portrait of Mrs. Gustavus Brown''; attributed to Gustavus Hesselius Lawrence Washington.jpg, ''Portrait of Lawrence Washington''

Other significant works

*''Lapowinsa'', by Gustavus Hessulius, c. 1735. Oil on canvas, 33 × 25 in (83.8 × 63.5 cm). Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel (Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection) Currently on Loan to Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia. *''Tishcohan'', by Gustavus Hessulius, c. 1735. Oil on canvas, 33 × 25 in (83.8 × 63.5 cm). Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel (Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection) Currently on Loan to Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia. *''Thomas Bordley'', by Gustavus Hesselius, c. 1715. Oil on canvas. 27 × 22 41/64 in.(68.6 × 57.5 cm). Maryland Historical Society Accession: 1891-2-1 *''Mrs. Charles Carroll, the "Settler", by Gustavus Hesselius, c. 1717–1720. Oil on canvas. 30 7/64 × 25 13/64 in. (76.5 × 64.0 cm). Maryland Historical Society Accession: 1949-64-1 *''Col. Leonard Hollyday'', by Gustavus Hesselius, c. 1740. Oil on canvas. 27 55/64 × 23 7/64 in. (70.8 × 58.7 cm). Maryland Historical Society, Accession: 1960-88-1

References

Other sources

*Fleischer, Roland E (1987) ''Gustavus Hesselius: Face Painter to the Middle Colonies'' (Trenton: New Jersey State Museum)

External links

The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.
Gustavus Hesselius
Smithsonian American Art Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Hesselius, Gustavus 1680s births 1755 deaths People from Avesta Municipality Swedish emigrants to the United States Immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 18th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish male artists Swedish male painters People from Prince George's County, Maryland 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters Painters from Philadelphia Painters from Maryland American pipe organ builders Artists from Dalarna County