Tre Kronor Castle, seen from the southwest

Tre Kronor Castle, seen from the southwest (Swedish: Slottet Tre Kronor, sett från sydväst) also called Tre Kronor from Slottsbacken (Swedish: Tre Kronor från Slottsbacken) is a 1661 oil painting by Dutch artist Govert Dircksz Camphuysen. The panting's subject is the Monarchy of Sweden's Tre Kronor Castle, which was destroyed by fire in 1697. The painting is the only known color image of the structure.^[1]

Tre Kronor Castle, seen from the southwest
Swedish: Slottet Tre Kronor, sett från sydväst
Artist	Govert Dircksz Camphuysen
Year	1661
Catalogue	SSM 11700
Medium	Oil on canvas
Subject	Tre Kronor Castle
Dimensions	82 cm × 44 cm (32 in × 17 in)
Location	Stockholm City Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

The signed and dated original is owned by the Stockholm City Museum (inventory number SSM 11700). It had been part of a private collection in England—whose owner had assumed it depicted some unknown Dutch castle—prior to being 'discovered' in 1947 by the Dutch firm Kunsthandel de Boer.^[2] In 1948, Kunsthandel de Boer put the painting up for sale for 15.000,00 kr.^[1] It was then purchased by Stockholm City, and was shown as part of a new acquisitions exhibit beginning in March 1948 at the city museum.^[3]

Uppsala University owns a copy of the painting (inventory number UU 52), which has been described as either a "contemporary copy" or a "contemporary studio replica."^[4] It was donated to the university by Adolf Ludvig Stierneld upon his death in 1835 (per his 1820 will).^[5] Until the discovery of the signed original, the creator of the painting in the university's collection was unknown,^[2] as was its status as a copy. Inscribed on the backside of the canvas, in Stierneld's hand, is written the title "The Old Stockholm Castle in the Time of Queen Christina."^[4]

References

1. "Stadsmuseet vill köpa slottsvy" [City Museum Will Purchase Castle View]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Stockholm. 8 March 1948. p. 2.
2. Strömbom, Sixten (1948). "Camphuysens Målning av Stockholms Slott" [Camphuysen's Painting of Stockholm's Castle]. Samfundet Sankt Eriks Årsbok (in Swedish). 1948: 9–17.
3. "Nyförvärv" [New Acquisitions]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Stockholm. 21 March 1948. p. 11.
4. Heinemann, Thomas; Ahlund, Mikael; Sidén, Karin; Werkmäster, Daniel, eds. (2001). Uppsala University Art Collection: Painting and Sculpture. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University. p. 76. ISBN 91-506-1479-7.
5. Heinemann, Thomas; Ahlund, Mikael; Sidén, Karin; Werkmäster, Daniel, eds. (2001). Uppsala University Art Collection: Painting and Sculpture. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University. pp. 25–26. ISBN 91-506-1479-7.

External links

• Slottet Tre Kronor, sett från sydväst, Stockholm City: Digital City Museum (in Swedish)
• Slottet Tre Kronor, sett från sydväst, The Stockholm Source (in Swedish)