Borgholm Castle, Öland — Aveelen

A magnificent copperplate engraving of Borgholm Castle on the island of Öland, then a grand Baroque palace overlooking the Kalmar Strait.

Drawn and engraved by Johannes van den Aveelen. From Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Published in Stockholm, c. 1700.

Borgholm had been remodelled in the late 17th century into one of Sweden's most ambitious royal palaces under Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. Aveelen's record captures it before the catastrophic fire of 1806 left the castle the dramatic ruin that survives today, making this print a unique witness to a vanished masterpiece of Swedish Baroque.

Copperplate engraving. Sheet size approximately 34.0 × 44.0 cm. Very Good, with minor age toning.