Per Krafft’s picture of a reading boy is part of a long tradition of moralizing images of idleness. The boy looks like he is about to fall asleep. The composition has its origin in Dutch art and was created during his visit in Paris in 1757. It suggests the influence of French role models such as Chardin and Greuze.

Natoire effortlessly transformed mythological themes into elegant scenes. River gods and water nymphs (naiads) were popular motifs. Carl Gustaf Tessin acquired this piece at the Paris Salon in 1740. Tessin’s art collection is an important part of the Nationalmuseum collections. Due to economic problems, Tessin had to sell it to Fredrik I in 1749. After the death of Gustav III, the state took over the ownership of the royal art collections.

The cultural elite of the 18th century admired the great philosophers and collected depictions of them as well as exclusive items, like this shell-shaped bowl from Bohemia.

Guillaume-Thomas-Raphaël Taraval was one of the French artists who were recruited for the construction of the castle in the 1730s. His educational efforts were considerable. Taraval set up a school of drawing in 1735. It became the basis of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Studies of the human body were central to the academic education.

In 1739, the city of Paris ordered a fountain. The work was entrusted to one of the most famous sculptors of the time, Edme Bouchardon. He was especially appreciated for his ability to connect to classical beauty and at the same time depict nature in a realistic way. Here is one of the fountain’s river gods, Seine, and in the next image, you can see the river god Marne. The models were possibly presented by Bouchardon at the Parisian Salon in 1740. They probably came to Sweden with the artist’s brother, also a sculptor, who was employed for decoration work at the Royal palace in Stockholm.

In 1739, the city of Paris ordered a fountain. The work was entrusted to one of the most famous sculptors of the time, Edme Bouchardon. He was especially appreciated for his ability to connect to classical beauty and at the same time depict nature in a realistic way. Here is one of the fountain’s river gods, Marne, and in the previous image, you can see the river god Seine. The models were possibly presented by Bouchardon at the Parisian Salon in 1740. They probably came to Sweden with the artist’s brother, also a sculptor, who was employed for decoration work at the Royal palace in Stockholm.

One of the most spectacular acquisitions made by Carl Gustaf Tessin during his time as the Swedish ambassador to Paris was the painting Triumph of Venus, which he bought in 1740. This drawing, produced by someone near Boucher, is not a sketch for the painting, but shows common features with several of Boucher’s paintings from this time.

Roslin depicted the Moldavian princess Zoie Ghika in a white atlas dress with silver lace. She is wearing a headdress with roses that resembles a turban. According to contemporary descriptions she and her sister had “elongated innocent faces, wonderful dark eyes, fair skin and soft, coal-black hair that lay in a straight fringe across their brows”. The portrait was commissioned by the Empress Catherine II. Zoie Ghika was staying at her court.

Hilleström’s world of images is like a window to the past, looking straight into the life and salons of the 18th century. Here is a party playing cards with Elis Schröderheim – one of the confidantes of Gustav III. The painting shows a typical room in Schröderheim’s home on Nybrogatan in Stockholm. The year is 1782 and the host is welcoming Princess Sofia Albertina. The men are dressed in the Swedish costume, introduced by Gustav III.

Joseph de France was the manager of the Imperial Treasury in Vienna and a collector. The table holds antique coins, cameos and statuettes. His wife Franziska Smitmer and his stepdaughter Maria von Cannegiesser are holding a pearl necklace and a jewellery box. Martin van Meytens was representative of the internationally active portrait painters of the time: he was born in Sweden by Dutch parents, and became a court painter in Vienna.

Maybe more than any other artist, Boucher exemplifies the style later called Rococo. It is characterized, among other things, by bright colours and graceful shapes. The subjects were still taken from mythology, but turned into sensual scenes in idyllic settings. This piece shows how Zeus, transformed into a swan, seduces Princess Leda. The woman next to her has been interpreted as a companion, a twin, or perhaps a reflection of herself.