Claes Rålamb facts for kids
Claes Rålamb (born May 8, 1622 – died March 14, 1698) was an important Swedish statesman. A statesman is a leader who helps run a country. He held many important jobs in Sweden during the 1600s. For example, he was the Governor of Uppland County in 1660. He also became a member of the King's special advisory group, the Privy Council, in 1664. Later, from 1673 to 1678, he was the Governor of Stockholm, the capital city.
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Claes Rålamb's Life
Claes Rålamb was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 8, 1622. He played a big role in Swedish politics. From 1656 to 1658, he led a special trip for Sweden to the Ottoman Empire. This trip was to meet with the "Sublime Porte," which was the government of the Ottoman Empire. Claes Rålamb passed away on March 14, 1698.
The Rålamb Album of Costumes
One of the most interesting things connected to Claes Rålamb is a special book called The Rålamb Album of Costumes. This album is a collection of 121 paintings. These paintings show different outfits worn by people in the Ottoman Empire. They include clothes worn by people at the Sultan's court, as well as everyday men and women.
What's Inside the Album?
Each painting in the album is a small artwork. They are drawn with black ink and then colored with gouache paints. Some even have shiny gold details! Each picture is on its own piece of paper, about the size of a postcard (14.5 x 10 cm). These papers are carefully put together into one book. Many of the pages have notes written on them. These notes are in Swedish, French, Italian, or Latin. They explain who or what is shown in the painting. Each picture also has a number in the top right corner.
How the Album Was Made
Claes Rålamb got these paintings when he was in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in 1657–1658. He was there leading the Swedish trip to the Ottoman Empire. The album arrived at the Swedish Royal Library in 1886.
Albums like this one were common in Europe back then. They were probably made for European visitors. Think of them as early versions of travel photos or postcards. They helped people see what life and fashion were like in other parts of the world.
Connection to Other Artworks
The small paintings in the Rålamb Album are closely linked to another set of artworks. These are called the "Rålamb Procession Paintings." This is a series of 20 larger paintings. They show the Sultan's grand parade to a city called Adrianople. Claes Rålamb actually saw this parade himself. He wrote all about it in his diary. The larger paintings were made for him, probably by a European artist. It's possible that the smaller pictures in the album were used as ideas or models for the artist who created the bigger parade paintings.
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Ralamb-71. An Armenian woman. She is holding a wine cup and a vessel. She wears a purple shalvar (loose pants) and a white shirt that reaches her ankles. She also has yellow shoes, a dark blue belted coat, and white headwear.
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Ralamb-38. The Khan of the Tatars. He is wearing a green dolama (a type of robe) with a fancy sash. Over that, he has a long blue coat with a wavy tiger pattern. On his head, he wears a red cap with fur trim and a special feather decoration.
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Ralamb-19. A Turkish man.
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Ralamb-70. A Turkish woman.
See also
- Rålambshovsparken
