Claes Rålamb (1622-1698)
Encyclopedia
Claes Rålamb was a Swedish
statesman. In 1660 he was appointed Governor of Uppland County
and in 1664 he served in the Privy Council
. Between 1673 and 1678, he served as the Over-Governor
of Stockholm
.
Claes Rålamb led a Swedish embassy to the Ottoman Empire
's Sublime Porte.
They were acquired in Constantinople in 1657-58 by Claes Rålamb who led a Swedish embassy to the Sublime Porte, and arrived in the Swedish Royal Library / Manuscript Department in 1886.
This volume is a variant of the so-called muraqqa-album type, which is rather common in libraries in Europe. They were probably manufactured for European visitors, as precursors of the 19th century 'pittoresque' photos and the present-day folklore postcards.
The miniatures have strong connections with the 'Rålamb Procession Paintings', a series of 20 paintings depicting the Sultan's procession to Adrianople, which are now displayed in the Nordiska Museet in Stockholm. Rålamb witnessed this procession and described it at length in his diary. The paintings were executed to his order, probably by a European artist. The miniatures may well have served as models for the artist.
Sweden
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....
statesman. In 1660 he was appointed Governor of Uppland County
Uppland County
Uppland County, or Upplands län, was a county of the Swedish Empire from 1634 to 1641, and from 1654 to 1714. Between 1641 and 1654, and after 1714, it was split into the Uppsala County and the Stockholm County.- List of Governors :...
and in 1664 he served in the Privy Council
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
. Between 1673 and 1678, he served as the Over-Governor
Over-Governor of Stockholm
The Over-Governor, or Överståthållaren of Stockholm was the highest official for the City between 1634 and 1967. The Office was instituted by the Instrument of Government of 1634, which divided Sweden into Counties and the Over-Governorship of Stockholm...
of 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...
.
Claes Rålamb led a Swedish embassy to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
's Sublime Porte.
The Rålamb Costume Book
The 'Rålamb Costume Book' is a small volume containing 121 miniatures in Indian ink with gouache and some gilding, displaying Turkish officials, occupations and folk types.They were acquired in Constantinople in 1657-58 by Claes Rålamb who led a Swedish embassy to the Sublime Porte, and arrived in the Swedish Royal Library / Manuscript Department in 1886.
This volume is a variant of the so-called muraqqa-album type, which is rather common in libraries in Europe. They were probably manufactured for European visitors, as precursors of the 19th century 'pittoresque' photos and the present-day folklore postcards.
The miniatures have strong connections with the 'Rålamb Procession Paintings', a series of 20 paintings depicting the Sultan's procession to Adrianople, which are now displayed in the Nordiska Museet in Stockholm. Rålamb witnessed this procession and described it at length in his diary. The paintings were executed to his order, probably by a European artist. The miniatures may well have served as models for the artist.