Margareta Capsia
Encyclopedia
Margareta Capsia was a Finnish artist, the first professional native female artist in Finland
. She mainly painted altarpieces, but was also active as a portrait painter.
, the child of Gottfried Capsia and Anna Schultz, and married the priest Jacob Gavelin in Stockholm
in 1719. After the Great Northern War
in 1721 they moved to Vasa
in Finland, were Margareta became known as an altarpiece painter in Österbotten. In 1730, they moved to Turku
, where she became a famous artist throughout Finland. Her altarpieces where described as individual illustrations of the bible, and she was regarded as one of the best painters in the genre together with Mikael Toppelius. She painted the altarpieces of a long line of churches, such as in the churches of Paltamo in 1727 and Säkylä in 1739. She died in Turku
.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. She mainly painted altarpieces, but was also active as a portrait painter.
Biography and career
Capsia was born in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the child of Gottfried Capsia and Anna Schultz, and married the priest Jacob Gavelin in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1719. After the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
in 1721 they moved to Vasa
Vasa
Vasa may refer to:* House of Vasa, a medieval Swedish noble family, the royal house of Sweden 1523–1654 and of Poland 1587–1668** Vasa , a Swedish warship that sank in 1628, since restored...
in Finland, were Margareta became known as an altarpiece painter in Österbotten. In 1730, they moved to Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, where she became a famous artist throughout Finland. Her altarpieces where described as individual illustrations of the bible, and she was regarded as one of the best painters in the genre together with Mikael Toppelius. She painted the altarpieces of a long line of churches, such as in the churches of Paltamo in 1727 and Säkylä in 1739. She died in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
.