Gustav Badin, whose life is currently being portrayed at the Royal Opera in the ballet performance "Gustavia – The Story of Sweden's Unknown Prince", was born around 1747 and was sold as a slave in Danish West Indies before coming to Sweden as a "gift" to Gustav III's mother, Queen Lovisa Ulrika. He was brought up side by side with the royal children and later became Lovisa Ulrika's secretary.
Now, a portrait of Badin is being sold by the firm Zebreg & Röell, which deals in antique art objects in the Netherlands.
The oil painting by Jakob Björk from 1776 is a copy of an original in pastel painted by the artist Gustav Lundberg. The painting has been housed in the Arvfurstens palace with Gustav III's sister Sofia Albertina and after her death in 1829, it has been in private ownership in Germany, according to the antique dealer's information. The portrait was, however, exhibited at a museum in Berlin in 1981.
In 2023, a memorial stone was erected over Gustav Badin at Katarina cemetery in Stockholm. The memorial stone was unveiled by Crown Princess Victoria at a ceremony on October 9 last year.
The Dutch art dealer firm does not specify a price for the portrait of Gustav Badin on its website.
