Since February is "Black History Month" in some parts of the world, why not take a quick look at one example of "black history" in Swedish art. 

Sweden had some colonies in the eighteenth century for shorter periods in an attempt to compete economically with greater nations, but this was not particularly successful and therefor largely forgotten about... But there are other traces of European colonialism in Swedish art history besides the love of everything Oriental and exotic as was fashionable at the time. Above you find a portrait of a man called Gustav Badin made by Gustav Lundberg in 1775. Badin, or Couchi as was his first/real name, was very young when he came to Sweden as a gift to the queen Lovisa Ulrika in the mid-eighteenth century. That means he was a slave, but with time his position in the royal court expanded. As an adult while he serving first under the queen and later princess Sofia Albertina, he was also acting in various theatrical events and privately he was devoted book collector. He was not the only black man of African origin in Sweden at the time, but due to his connections with the royal family he is the most famous.

Lundberg's portrait is a curious mix. He depicts Badin both as a nobleman, dressed in fine fabrics and decorated with an Order, and as some sort of wild man with feathers and exotic bling. There is a hint of the tricolour in Badin's costume, perhaps a reference to that he was both reading and writing in French. He is playing chess, but as he is portrayed smiling and looking like trouble, as his given French name Badin is suggesting, perhaps we should think he is playing with the chess pieces? Even if he gained some respect in higher society, he was also always the Other.

Next weeks post will be on a more contemporary aspect on the black history- theme...