Alexander Roslin, Ritratto della Granduchessa Maria Feodorovna all’età di 18 anni, 1777.

Brief history of Alexander Roslin

Alexander Roslin (1718 – 1793) was a Swedish portrait painter. He was highly appreciated because of his ability in use of colour and because of his attention to details.

His paintings are characterized by a perfect and a faithful reproduction of various materials a suit or any item were made of. Silk, velvet and golden backgrounds stand out against realistic faces and for this reason he was very sought after.

After his apprenticeship in Stockholm, Alexander began travelling across North Europe, and in 1747 he arrived in Italy in order to complete his training, studying the ancient Italian masters. He was at the service of Duke of Parma, and then he moved to Paris, where he settled down and painted his best paintings.

In Paris Louis XV made a personal apartment available to him and his family, in the Louvre. However Roslin still kept in touch with Sweden, where he came back to paint some canvas at the Swedish royal court.
Roslin’s paintings earned the admiration of Catherine II of Russia, who called him in Saint Petersburg, hoping that he would decide to stay in her service. Nevertheless, Alexander came back to Paris where he lived until he died.

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