Erik Palmstedt
Encyclopedia
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, where he was in the forefront of Neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
and at the heart of a social and intellectual circle that formed round him. He was also a musician, who served as organist at Riddarholm Church
Riddarholmskyrkan
The Riddarholmen Church is the burial church of the Swedish monarchs. It is located on the island of Riddarholmen, close to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from...
for twenty-seven years.
He was the son of the court musician Johan Palmstedt and his wife Maria Segerlund. He was a pupil of Stockholm's city architect, Johan Eberhard Carlberg, becoming vice-architect for the city in 1773. Having intently studied recent developments in architecture through the medium of engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
s, in 1778-80 he was able for the first time to travel to France and Italy to study architecture at first hand. Through his marriagein 1784 to Hedvig Gustafva Robsahmsson, he was rendered financially independent. The circle that gathered at their house in Svartmannagatan included the Swedish writer of songs Carl Michael Bellman
Carl Michael Bellman
was a Swedish poet and composer. Bellman is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a very important influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature in general, to this day....
and the composer Joseph Martin Kraus
Joseph Martin Kraus
Joseph Martin Kraus , was a composer in the classical era who was born in Miltenberg am Main, Germany. He moved to Sweden at age 21, and died at the age of 36 in Stockholm...
.
He was made a fellow of the Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in 1791; he was also a member of the Royal Academy of Music.
Notable works
- Börshuset, (Stockholm bourse), 1767-1778 (illustration).
- NorrbroNorrbroNorrbro is an arch bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm. It extends north from the northern front of the Stockholm Palace passing over Helgeandsholmen in front of the parliament building, Riksdagen, and from there over to Gustaf Adolfs torg...
, the old "North Bridge", Stockholm, rebuilt in stone, in partnership with Carl Fredrik AdelcrantzCarl Fredrik AdelcrantzCarl Fredrik Adelcrantz was a Swedish architect and civil servant. Adelcrantz's style developed from a rococo influenced by Carl Hårleman, the leading architect in Sweden in the early years of his career, to a classical idiom influenced by the stylistic developments in France in the mid-to-late...
, 1781-1807 - Tullhuset, the Customs Warehouse along Skeppsbron, Stockholm, 1783-1790
- Svartå slott, 1783-1792
- Gripsholm, the Court Theatre
- Arvfurstens palatsArvfurstens palatsArvfurstens palats is a palace located at Gustav Adolfs Torg in central Stockholm.Designed by Erik Palmstedt, the palace was originally the private residence of Princess Sophia Albertina. It was built 1783-1794 and declared a historical monument in 1935 and subsequently restored by Ivar Tengbom...
, for Princess Sophia Albertina, Stockholm, 1783-1794. Today it houses the Swedish Foreign Office.