Bust of Viktor Rydberg

Artist: Johan Börjeson
Year created: 1898
Material: Bronze

The portrait bust of Viktor Rydberg, who lived and died in Jönköping (1828-1895), rests on a bronze plinth. Viktor Rydberg was a multi-discipline intellectual: author, poet, journalist, translator, philosopher of religion and cartoonist. He became Sweden’s first professor of cultural history and was elected to the Swedish Academy. Many of his works are still well known. Among the most beloved are the novel Singoalla, the Christmas poem Tomten (Santa Claus) and the evocative Betlehems Stjärna (The Star of Betlehem) – set to music by Alice Tegnér and beginning with the words ‘Gläns över sjö och strand’ (Shine over sea and shore).

About the artist

Johan Börjeson (1835–1910) was one of the first to introduce realism into Swedish sculpture. He trained in Rome and Paris and later became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts. His portrait busts are characterised by classical form and great sense of presence.