49. FREDRIC LUDVIG RUNG'S TABLE PENDANT FOR HIS DAUGHTER FREDRIKA ULRIKA RUNG, so called “Pendule portique”, high quality late Gustavian Stockholm work, made Fredric Ludvig Rung (1758-1837, royal court choir 1779, girdle maker 1788).

Matte and polished burnt-gilt mounts, Gammelklitt porphyry from Elfdals Porphyrverk, dial signed Rydberg Stockholm (Johan Rydberg, watchmaker in Stockholm active in the late 18th and early 19th century), lunette footplate on globe feet, sacrificial altar with acroterion and flaming flame, smooth columns with mounts, pendulum with Apollons face in radiant gloss, crown plate with fringe border and pine cones, full gilt clock case with laurel wreath, dial enamelled with Arabic numerals, crowned by urn in carrara marble with pendants and chains, full and half stroke, pendulum and pull wrench included, height 50, 24 x 14 cm

Compare almost identical table pendulum with Gammelklitt from Elfdals Porphyrverk, by Fredric Ludvig Rung, in the collections of the National Museum, NMK 163/2019; compare similar table pendulum with Blyberg porcelain from Elfdals Porphyrverk, in the collections of the Nordic Museum, NM.0217516A-B

PROVENANCE: Hovciselören Fredric Ludvig Rung (1758‑1837), married 1800 to Sophie Ulrika Pfeffer (1776-1854), Stockholm
then as a gift to their daughter Fredrika Ulrika Rung (1807-1896), married to vicar Daniel Malmberg, Stockholm
by inheritance their daughter Sofia Fredrika Malmberg (1847-1944) married to court preacher Carl Gustaf Ljungman (1845-1886), Stockholm
by inheritance their son docent Waldemar Liungman (1883-1978) married to Annie Tyra Augusta Hasselblad (1887-1971), Djursholm
by inheritance their daughter Sigbrit Liungman-Edman (1920-2013), Vallentuna
by gift in 2005 to the current owner

LITERATURE: Uppsala Auktionskammare, International Quality Auction, autumn 2021, no 516, compare “Det Rungska Garnityret”, consisting of similar table pendants, a pair of candelabra and a pair of salt vessels, engraved F. Rung fec., clubbed for 1,475,000 SEK. Proveniens Fredric Ludvig Rung's eldest daughter Eva Sophia Rung (1802-1888), married Nyström

During the Gustavian era, some of the most high-quality burnt-gilt objects ever were created in Sweden. The Swedish production was artisanal and in short series which were often unique custom-made works, while the production of the Paris workshops was more extensive and of a more varied nature. In Sweden, the precious bronzes were reserved for the absolute top layer within the royal house and the high nobility. The costs of allowing the manufacture of burnt-gilded objects were high both financially and for those who carried out the dangerous process of gilding with mercury.

According to family tradition, Rung gave his daughters a table pendant of the model that the auction version represents, this task has been confirmed in recent years by the sale of “Det Rungska Garnityret” at Uppsala Auktionskammare in autumn 2021. The garnish included a very similar table pendant in Blybergsporfyr, with a clockwork made by Johan Rydberg, as well as an unbroken provenance from Fredric Ludvig Rung to his eldest daughter, Eva Sophia Rung (1802-1888) and up to our days. Now we get further proof that the family tradition is correct, through the table pendant given by Rung to his third daughter, Fredrik Ulrika Rung (1807-1896), after which it was passed down through generations until 2005 when the then owner gave it as a gift to the present owner as an expression of gratitude and appreciation.

It is undoubtedly a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of high-class Swedish arts and crafts history through its unbroken provenance from the time of manufacture circa 1800. The table spindle is a clear example of the domestic manufacturing that quickly came about in the wake of the castle building project in Stockholm. Here we get a concrete proof of the skill of the Swedish craftsmen, with the refined combination of beautiful Gammelklitt porphyry, produced at Elfdal Porphyrverk, and high-quality bronze assemblages by Fredric Ludvig Rung, which form an exquisitely balanced whole of internationally comparable dimensions.

Fredric Ludvig Rung was born on 20 July 1758 in Stockholm and was the son of girdle maker Alderman Fredrik Rung and his wife Anna Sophia Weser. Likely Rung received his first practical training in his father's workshop, but presumably the workshops attached to the castle building project in Stockholm should have been a natural feature of Rung's education. Around 1780, Rung started his overseas study trip, which took him to Germany, Holland, France and finally England. He himself describes his stay in Paris with great satisfaction: “with access and the opportunity to pursue my knowledge with the foremost artist in this genre, continuously for three years.” In connection with Gustav III's visit to Paris in 1784, Rung was granted a travel pension by the king in order to continue his studies.

Back in Sweden in 1787, Rung received orders from the king for, among other things, the decoration of the pavilion at Haga. His most famous work, a pair of large-format appliques, was delivered in 1791 to the library in the King's Pavilion. Starting from Louis Masreliez's drawing for the room, Rung created a masterpiece in Swedish bronze casting. Through his international style and excellent quality, Rung was frequently employed by the royal house, he was de facto the first truly renowned Swedish master in his craft and became important for the further development of burnt-gilt bronzes.