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41-527: After the successful 1710 siege of Reval (Tallinn) during the Great Northern War , Czar Peter the Great of Russia bought a small manor house at Laksberg (Lasnamäe) for his wife Catherine . Plans for a larger palace in the area were developed soon afterwards and construction of a new palace, in what is now Kadriorg, was started on 25 July 1718. The construction of the main building of the palace

82-516: A major Swedish source for grain. Yet, none of the respective attempts during the Russo-Swedish wars of 1741–1743 , 1788–1790 and 1808–1809 was successful. As Loit (2004) put it: It was the acquisition of Estonia in the year of 1561, which marked the first step to Sweden's emergence as a European great power, and it was when the Baltic provinces were lost to Russia in 1710 (1721), during

123-450: A military parade in 1781. This gave Graff the chance to study the physiognomy of the King, and was therefore the basis for his portrait. Graff was popular with the landed gentry , diplomats, musicians and scholars . He portrayed many of them. While painting a portrait, Graff always focused the light on the person's face. In Graff's portraits it was always the face that got the attention and

164-513: A natural way. His role model in this field was the French court painter Hyacinthe Rigaud . In 1765/66 Graff portrayed Elisabeth Sulzer in a blue silk dress with silver laces and fur collar and borders. In his early years, Graff hardly ever painted any background details. He usually kept the background monochrome. However, in later years he paid more attention to the background. Usually he painted

205-488: A post. Graff hesitated, he thought he was not good enough to work for the princely court of Saxony . To give Hagedorn an impression of his talent he sent a self-portrait. It arrived on 16 January 1766, in Dresden and was so well received, that only one day later Hagedorn worked out Graff's employment contract. On 7 April 1766, Graff arrived in Dresden, where he was appointed court painter and teacher for portrait painting at

246-702: A pupil of Graff) and Carl Anton (he became a landscapist ), a fortune of 40,000 Thaler . Graff was buried in Dresden . His tomb does not exist anymore. Graff was a prolific artist. He painted some 2,000 paintings and drawings. His paintings, especially the portraits, are much sought-after. Many of them are in museums and private collections in Switzerland (Museum Oskar Reinhart), Germany ( Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden ), Russia ( Hermitage Museum ), Estonia ( Kadriorg Palace , Tallinn ) and Poland ( National Museum, Warsaw ). The portraits of gentlemen outnumber

287-689: A sparkling manner of painting that anticipated Impressionism . Philipp Otto Runge and Caspar David Friedrich were influenced by his work. Graff was a sociable person. He cultivated friendships with many of his sitters, business partners and colleagues such as the Polish engraver Daniel Chodowiecki , the Swiss painters Salomon Gessner and Adrian Zingg and the Saxon engraver Johann Friedrich Bause . Bause reproduced many of Graff's portraits as engravings. This made Graff's name and his artworks well known with

328-523: A state visit by King Gustaf V of Sweden , the palace was turned into a summer residence for the head of state of Estonia. In 1934, the palace became the official residence of the then head of state, Konstantin Päts who embarked on extensive and controversial restoration works with the aim of transforming the park and the palace into his private domain. From this era, the library in elaborate " Danzig - baroque " style, completed by architect Olev Siinmaa in 1939

369-690: A well known bookseller and publisher in Leipzig. Reich became a good friend of Graff. He engaged him to portrait his scholar friends. In September 1771, Graff travelled to Berlin and portrayed Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in Johann Georg Sulzer's apartment. Lessing's comment on his portrait was: "Do I really look that terribly nice?" In Berlin Graff also portrayed Moses Mendelssohn and Johann Georg Sulzer , his future father-in-law. In his later years Graff turned to painting landscapes and developed

410-572: Is worth mentioning. A purpose-built presidential palace on the grounds (1938) was designed by Alar Kotli . In 1921, the palace became the main site for the Art Museum of Estonia . The museum was rehoused in temporary locations from 1929 while the palace was being converted into the Estonian head of state's official residence. During the German occupation of Estonia during World War II , the palace

451-744: The Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia in 1710 the Swedish dominions Estonia and Livonia were integrated into the Russian Empire following their conquest during the Great Northern War . The Livonian nobility and the city of Riga capitulated on 4 July ( O.S. ) / 15 July 1710 ( N.S. ), Pernau (Pärnu) in August, and the Estonian nobility and the city of Reval (Tallinn) on 29 September ( O.S. ) / 10 October ( N.S. ). Russia left

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492-609: The Teutonic Order State and, in Estonia, Danish laws. The reduction of these privileges by Swedish absolutism had caused exiled Livonian noble and spokesman of the Livonian nobles Johann Reinhold von Patkul to successfully lobby for war against Sweden in the pretext of the war, and their confirmation was to assure loyalty of the Baltic elites, who in the majority had fiercely resisted Russian conquest, to

533-637: The Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye in 1699. During the war, Charles XII of Sweden was able to defeat the Russian army at Narva in 1700 , and then pursued August the Strong to Saxony. Once the main Swedish army was gone, Russian forces were able to regroup and conquered most of the plague-stricken Baltic provinces until 1710, when the last Swedish strongholds Riga , Reval and Pernau capitulated. At this time,

574-443: The Baltic dominions, and assigned vacant administrative positions until 1720. The Russian administration, under supreme command of Boris Sheremetev , reacted by prohibiting contacts of the local population to Sweden. On 30 August 1721, the Treaty of Nystad formalized Russia's acquisition of the Baltic provinces and the respective capitulations in articles IX, X, XI and XII. Sweden had to relinquish her claims "forever", and strike

615-500: The Elder , Adriaen Cornelisz Beeldemaker ("Hunter on Horseback"), Maria Dorothea Wagner , Julie Wilhelmine Hagen-Schwarz , Bernardo Strozzi , Pietro Liberi , Anton Graff , Angelica Kauffman , Francesco Fontebasso , Cornelis Schut , Mikhail Clodt , and Ilya Repin ("Soldier's Tale"). 59°26′19″N 24°47′27″E  /  59.43851°N 24.79084°E  / 59.43851; 24.79084 Siege of Reval (1710) With

656-646: The Estonian and Livonian ones, following the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . The Baltic provinces retained their special status within the Russian Empire until tsar Nicholas I started to implement Russification policies in the 1840s. Between 1883 and 1905, under tsar Alexander III , nationalist policies resulted in changes in administration and education, before the 1905 Russian Revolution eased

697-511: The Estonian coast, burning villages and estates. Greater expeditions were planned during the same time, including a naval assault on Ösel (Saaremaa) in 1711 and a subsequent landfall with all Swedish troops stationed in Finland , but these plans were not executed. The last plan for a military recovery of the Baltic provinces was made in 1720, but this one too was not executed. The Swedish government further maintained an exiled administration of

738-511: The Great , Friederike Sophie Seyler , Johann Gottfried Herder , Gotthold Ephraim Lessing , Moses Mendelssohn and Christian Felix Weiße . His pupils included Emma Körner , Philipp Otto Runge and Karl Ludwig Kaaz . Anton Graff was born as the seventh child of the craftsman Ulrich Graff and Barbara Graff née Koller, at Untertorgasse 8 in Winterthur , Switzerland (the house no longers exists). In 1753, Graff started studying painting at

779-735: The Livonians swear allegiance to Peter the Great . Löwenwolde, formerly serving August the Strong, was made Peter's plenipotentiary in Livonia and held that office until 1713. Before the Swedish-Russian hostilities were concluded in Nystad (1721) , the Swedish government did not accept the capitulation. Swedish intelligence operated in the occupied areas and interrogated people who escaped from these provinces to Sweden proper. In 1711 and 1712, Swedish naval units made several landfalls on

820-481: The Northern War, that Sweden was transformed into a second-class power again. The acquisition of Estonia and Livonia introduced a new class of Baltic German nobles to Russian courts. During the following centuries, Baltic Germans were to occupy important positions in the Russian Empire. In 1795, Early Modern Russia completed her Baltic expansion with the acquisition of Courland by a capitulation similar to

861-492: The Swedish ecclesiastical order was only replaced in 1832. The capitulation of Livonia violated August the Strong 's claims as outlined in the Treaty of Preobrazhenskoye (1699) and renewed on 9–10 October ( O.S. ) / 20–21 October 1709 ( N.S. ) in the Treaty of Thorn . When in these treaties the allies had partitioned the Swedish dominions among themselves, August was to gain Livonia. Ignoring Gerhard Johann von Löwenwolde 's urge to heed these treaties, Boris Sheremetev had

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902-720: The academy. He kept the academy post for life, although he got better paid offers at other academies. In early 1788, the Prussian Minister Friedrich Anton von Heynitz made Graff the very financially attractive offer to work for the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. On 7 May 1789, Graff informed Count Camillo Marcolini , general director of the Dresden Art Academy, about this. Marcolini reacted straight away. On 20 June 1789, Graff

943-478: The art school of Johann Ulrich Schellenberg, in Winterthur. After three years he left for Augsburg . There he worked with the etcher Johann Jakob Haid. However, only one year later he was forced to leave Augsburg. He was too successful, and the members of the local painters guild feared his competition. With a letter of recommendation from Johann Jakob Haid, he moved to Ansbach where he found employment with

984-450: The capitulations in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. The transfer of the Baltic provinces marked the end of Sweden's and the beginning of Russia's time as a great power . The Baltic provinces retained their special status until the late 19th century. In the pretext of the Great Northern War , August the Strong of Saxe - Poland-Lithuania and Peter the Great of Russia had agreed to conquer and partition Sweden's Baltic dominions in

1025-417: The court painter Leonhard Schneider until 1759. Graff travelled frequently to Munich to study paintings in different collections. In 1759, he went back to Augsburg and later moved to Regensburg . In 1765 he went back to Winterthur and Zurich. It was there he received an invitation from Christian Ludwig von Hagedorn , the newly appointed Director of the recently established Dresden Art Academy , to apply for

1066-446: The light, except when the sitter was a lady. In that case he also focused on the lady's décolleté . Graff was a master of light and shadow. His role model in this context was Ján Kupecký whose works he studied in the collections of Ansbach. In comparison with the calmness of the ladies, the gentlemen in his portraits often appear serious and reserved. He also knew how to paint dresses and draperies of different materials and colours in

1107-678: The local institutions in place and confirmed the traditional privileges of the German nobles and burghers as was established in Privilegium Sigismundi Augusti , especially with respect to the Protestant faith. The land reform of the so-called reduction which had been introduced by the Swedish king Charles XI , and transformed many serfs to subjects of the Crown, was reversed. The Swedish Empire formally accepted

1148-627: The main Swedish army was captured at the Surrender at Perevolochna following the Battle of Poltava . Peter the Great had in person launched the first shells in the siege of Riga, in November 1709. In the Estonian and Livonian capitulations, Russia largely confirmed local law and privileges, especially the Protestant church order, thus granting administrative, economical, social and cultural autonomy. This included laws and privileges dating back to

1189-483: The palace also housed the civilian governor of the Governorate of Estonia . After Estonia became an independent country in 1918, the palace became state property. For a time, one of the wings housed the studio of sculptor August Weizenberg while the palace was used for art exhibitions. Between 1921 and 1928 the palace housed what would eventually develop into the Art Museum of Estonia . In 1929, in connection with

1230-520: The palace was reopened to the public in 2000. It was also decided that a new building would be established nearby for the section of the museum devoted to Estonian art . The restored palace was reopened in the summer of 2000, but it no longer serves as the main building of the museum, but as a branch displaying the museum's collection of foreign art. This art museum has paintings by Bartholomeus van der Helst , Gillis van Valckenborch ("Burning of Troy"), Jacob Jordaens ("Holy Family"), Lambert de Hondt

1271-496: The provinces from the royal title. Peter the Great in turn changed his title from tsar to imperator , and amended it with kniaz Estlandskyi, Livlandskyi i Korelskyi , i.e. duke of Estonia, Livonia and Karelia . However, reconquest of her former Baltic dominions remained a Swedish war aim in the century following the Great Northern War, since these territories were of high strategic importance and Livonia had been

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1312-610: The public. Graff travelled quite often to Berlin. His father-in-law, Johann Georg Sulzer , introduced him to members of the Prussian court. He became very popular with the Prussian nobility and they were good customers for him. In 1778 he closed his short autobiography with: "Berlin habe ich viel zu verdanken" (I owe Berlin much). On 16 October 1771, Graff married Elisabetha Sophie Augusta Sulzer, called "Guste". They had 5 children. The first daughter, Johanna Catharina Henrietta, died

1353-420: The same year she was born in 1772. Another daughter was born in 1779 and died only a few months later. His second son, Georg, died in 1801. In 1803 Graff underwent cataract surgery. His wife Elisabeth died in 1812. Graff himself died of typhoid fever on 22 June 1813, at around 8pm in Dresden . He was 76 years old. He left his two surviving children, Caroline Susanne (she married the painter Karl Ludwig Kaaz ,

1394-498: The sitter in outdoor surroundings, as was the fashion at that time in England. The price for a portrait by Graff was calculated by size and details of the sitter's clothes. That it was not always easy for Graff to portrait the famous shows the remark he made while painting Friedrich Schiller : "He cannot sit still." Graff was much in demand and he could live a comfortable life with his income. In 1769 Graff met Philipp Erasmus Reich,

1435-534: The situation. While after the conquest of the Baltic provinces Peter the Great had guaranteed that the German language retained its status as official language, Catherine II had introduced Russian as second official language, and in the 1880s, Russian was introduced as the second lingua franca . Anton Graff Anton Graff (18 November 1736 – 22 June 1813) was an eminent Swiss portrait artist. Among his famous subjects were Friedrich Schiller , Christoph Willibald Gluck , Heinrich von Kleist , Frederick

1476-559: The so-called mirage garden on several levels. The layout of the park shares similarities with that of the palace of Peter the Great in Strelna . After the death of Peter the Great, the palace received little attention from the Russian royal family. It was sporadically visited, by the Empress Elisabeth and Catherine the Great . In 1828-1830 extensive restoration works of the palace and grounds took place. Between 1741 and 1917,

1517-524: The tsar. The capitulations were concluded exclusively by the Baltic German burghers and noble class, the Estonian and Latvian speaking population was not mentioned. The confirmation of local law and administration resulted in many Swedish laws and decrees remaining in effect under Russian rule. For example, an incomplete list of 122 still effective Swedish decrees was published in Reval in 1777, and

1558-552: Was appointed Professor for portrait painting at the Dresden Art Academy. Graff made portraits of nearly 1,000 of his contemporaries and was the leading portrait painter in Germany, in the late 18th and early 19th century. Graff was the main portrait painter of German poets between the Enlightenment and early Romantic periods. Many were also his friends, like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , whom he met in Dresden in 1768. Graff

1599-437: Was completed by 1725. Peter the Great and Catherine visited the unfinished residence on several occasions, but after his death in 1725 Catherine showed no interest in the seaside property. The great hall with Catherine's initials and profuse stucco decor (attributed to Heinrich von Bergen) survives, while many other interiors have been altered. The gardener Ilya Surmin was responsible for the flower garden with two fountains and

1640-470: Was the favourite portrait painter of the German, Russian, Polish and Baltic nobility . Among others he portrayed Stanislaw Kostka Potocki . His most important clients included Catherine the Great of Russia and Frederick the Great of Prussia . His portrait of Frederick is regarded as his masterpiece. The painting is exhibited at Schloss Charlottenburg . Frederick the Great never posed for Graff. However, Graff received authorization to watch Frederick at

1681-537: Was the residence of the civilian governor of occupied Estonia, Karl-Siegmund Litzmann . After 1944, during the Soviet occupation of Estonia, the palace once again became the main venue for the Art Museum of Estonia, although the buildings were neglected and by the time of the restoration of Estonia's independence in 1991, completely run down. Restoration works, supported by the government of Sweden , began in 1991, and

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