Johan Tobias Sergel (; 7 September 1740 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 ...

– 26 February 1814 in Stockholm) was a Swedish neoclassical sculptor.

Sergels torg Sergels torg ("Sergel's Square") is a major public square in Stockholm, Sweden, constructed in the 1960s and named after 18th-century sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, whose workshop was once located north of the square. Overview Sergels torg h ...

, the largest square in the centre of Stockholm and near where his workshop stood, is named after him.

Life

Johan Tobias Sergel was born in Stockholm in 1740. He was the son of the decorator, Christoffer Sergel and Elisabet (née Swyrner), and was the brother of the decorator, Anna Brita Sergel. His first teacher was Pierre Hubert Larchevêsque.New International Encyclopedia, 1905 After studying in Paris, he went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he moved in the same circles as the painters

Alexander Runciman Alexander Runciman (15 August 1736 – 4 October 1785) was a Scottish people, Scottish painter of historical and mythological subjects. He was the elder brother of John Runciman, also a painter. Life He was born in Edinburgh, and studied at ...

and James Barry.Macmillan, Duncan (2023), ''Scotland and the Origins of Modern Art'',

Lund Humphries Ashgate Publishing was an academic book and journal publisher based in Farnham (Surrey, United Kingdom). It was established in 1967 and specialised in the social sciences, arts, humanities and professional practice. It had an American office in B ...

, London, pp. 65 - 84, He stayed in Rome for twelve years and sculpted a number of groups in marble. Besides subjects from classical

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

such as the ''Diomedes Stealing the Palladium'', which he sold to the British collector, Thomas Mansel Talbot, in 1772, he also sculpted a colossal representation of ''The Muse of History Recording the Deeds of Gustavus Adolphus'', in which are depicted the achievements of 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 ...

before the Chancellor,

Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (; 1583–1654) was a Swedish statesman and Count of Södermöre. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of ...

. It was in Rome also that he modelled the statue of King

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...

, subsequently cast in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

and purchased by the city of

in 1796. While primarily a sculptor, Sergel (inspired by English artists like

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 1757 – 21 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual soc ...

) also drew sequential picture stories, an early form of

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

. Summoned by Gustav III, Sergel returned to Stockholm in 1779 and continued to work there. Among the monuments he created at this time are a tomb for

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

, a monument to Descartes, and a large relief in the church of St. Clarens, representing the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

. He was an important part of the artistic elite in Stockholm, drawing a portrait of Sweden's bard

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as wel ...

among others. He had a relationship with the celebrated actress Fredrique Löwen and was possibly the father of one of her children. He died in his native city on 26 February 1814.

Works

Among his works in the

Nationalmuseum Nationalmuseum is the List of national galleries, national gallery of fine arts of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm. The museum's operations stretch far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, including the Natio ...

Blasieholmen Blasieholmen is a peninsula in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is located east of Kungsträdgården. Originally a small island, named Käpplingen, it became a peninsula, connected to Norrmalm, during the 17th century. Among the buildings at Blasi ...

, central Stockholm are his monumental sculptures "Diomedes Stealing the Palladium", "The Muse of History Recording the Deeds of Gustavus Adolphus", and a "Bust of Gustavus III". File:Centaure enlacant une bacchante.jpg, Centaur embracing a bacchante, terracotta, 1775–1778 File:Hetsigtkärlekspar.jpg, Passionate couple, wash drawing, n.d. File:Venus och Ankises.jpg , Venus and Anchises, n.d. File:Sergel Kvinna som stiger ur badet.jpg, Woman climbing out of bath, plaster relief, n.d. File:Johan Tobias Sergel, självporträtt från 1793.jpg, Self-portrait with his common-law wife Anna-Rella Hellström and their son Gustav, wash drawing, 1793 File:Johan Tobias Sergel Oxenstierna 02.jpg, Sculpture of Axel Oxenstierna, on the south side of the postament of the Gustav II Adolf monument in Stockholm, bronze, 1796 File:Johan Tobias Sergel - Dansande Backantinna.jpg, Dancing bacchante, crayon on paper, n.d. File:Frantz Hohlenberg by Sergel.jpg, Caricature of Frantz Christopher Henrik Hohlenberg (1764-1804), Danish shipbuilder and naval officer, 1797 File:Karlstads domkyrka altar cross.jpg, Altar cross of Karlstad Cathedral File:Monument_to_King_Gustav_III_of_Sweden_(Stockholm).jpg, Statue of King Gustav III of Sweden, Skeppsbron, Stockholm. Dedicated 1808 File:Suomenlinna Ehrensvard grave.jpg, Tomb of Field Marshal Augustin Ehrensvärd's grave at Suomenlinna, 1805 File:Bellmanskällan 2012bb.jpg, Medallion of

, Bellmanskällan. Bronze

References

Sources

* Attribution: *

External links

Johan Tobias Sergel
at Lambiek artists archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sergel, Johan Tobias Swedish artists Swedish sculptors Swedish male sculptors Neoclassical sculptors 1740 births 1814 deaths Age of Liberty people Gustavian era people Swedish comics artists Sculptors from Stockholm 18th-century sculptors 18th-century Swedish artists 18th-century Swedish male artists 19th-century Swedish sculptors 19th-century Swedish male artists