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Magnus Hallman Born 1745 in Regna Sweden, Hallman is best known for his portraits of Swedish clerics and the Swedish Royal Family. He also painted four portraits of the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. Hallman died on the 13th May 1822 in Norrkoping.
Carl Linnaeus was born in1707 at Stenbrohult, in southern Sweden. In 1728 he entered the University of Uppsala to study medicine. However he spent most of his time collecting and studying plants which was his true interest. He mounted several botanical expeditions to different unexplored areas in Sweden. He finished his medical degree in the Netherlands in 1735 and then enrolled in the University of Leiden. It was during this period that he published the first edition of his classification of living things, the Systema Naturae. He returned to Sweden in 1738 and two years later he became professor at Uppsala. He rearranged the University botanical garden according to his system of classification, made more expeditions to various parts of Sweden and continued developing his Systema Naturae. The 10th edition of this work, (1758-1759) laid the foundation for the modern classification and naming of animals and plants. Linneaus also encouraged his students to travel on botanical expeditions around the world. His students included Daniel Solander, the naturalist on Cook’s first round-the-world voyage, Anders Sparrman, who was on Cook’s second voyage and Carl Peter Thunberg, the first Western naturalist to visit Japan in over a century. Linnaeus was granted nobility in 1761. He died in 1778 after
several strokes in his manor estate of Hammarby, outside Uppsala.
The English natural historian Sir James Edward Smith who founded
the Linnean
Society of London acquired his library, manuscripts and
natural history collection.
This painting is one of four portraits of Linnaeus by Hallman. Three of which seem to be derived from an original by Roslin, which was painted in 1775. There is an inscription on the back of the canvas. The painting was purchased from A. R. F. Chapman of Bath in 1931. It was formerly in the collection of the botanist A. B. Lambert, and auctioned in 1842 after his death (lot 15).
Exhibition and publication details This painting has not been on public display. Thackray, J. C. A. (1995) A catalogue of portraits, paintings and sculpture at the Natural History Museum, London. Mansell: London. 70pp.
References and further reading Blunt, W. (2002) The Compleat Naturalist: a life of Linnaeus. Frances Lincoln: London. 256pp Britten, J. (1924) Linnaeus and His Collections. Burns Oates: London. Reprinted from: Dublin review, v.175, no.351, p. 207-221. Stearn, W. T. (1957) An introduction to the Species Plantarum
and cognate botanical works of Carl Linnaeus. Carl Linnaeus
- Species Plantarum - A facsimile of the first edition 1753.
The Ray Society: London. 2 vols.
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