Jacob Röngren

Lady in White Gown with Blue Ribbons

When it became part of the Tansey Collection, this portrait of a lady in a fashionable gown ¹ was ascribed to an unknown artist called Röhl; latest research, however, has identified the miniature to be a work of the little-known Finnish miniature painter Jacob Röngren. Though only the first two letters of the signature can be deciphered, the comparison with a signed work of Röngren in the National Museum Stockholm seems to support the ascription ² . The fact that Röngren' s works resemble those of Niklas Lafrensen and Lorentz Svenson Sparrgren suggests that he studied miniature painting in Stockholm.

B.P.

¹ Cf. the portraits of ladies in cat.-no. 2005-40 and 2005-79.

² It shows an unknown gentleman, signed and dated 1799 (National Museum Stockholm, inv.-no. NMB 2261). Siöholm and Olausson ascribe six unsigned works to Röngren. However, some other miniatures in the collection that are either categorized as anonymous or falsely ascribed to other artists have to be ascribed to Röngren, too: Queen Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte (NMB 721); Portraits of unknown ladies (NMB 1127, NMB 198, NMB 729) and gentlemen (NMB 727, NMDs 123, NMB 728).