Lovisa Meijerfeldt

Lovisa Augusta Meijerfeldt (née Sparre af Sundby; 12 September 1745 – 16 September 1817), was a Swedish noble and courtier. She is famous in history for being one of the so-called "Three Graces", alongside the sisters Augusta von Fersen and Ulla von Fersen, three ladies-in-waiting strongly associated with the Gustavian era.

Lovisa Meijerfeldt was the daughter of Governor Count Axel Wrede-Sparre and Augusta Törnflycht. She married Field marshal Count Johan August Meijerfeldt the Younger (1725-1800) in 1763 in the presence of King Adolph Frederick of Sweden and his queen, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. The couple were well seen by the royal house and given a prominent position at court. She was a favorite and leading socialite at court, and was in 1771 appointed a lady-in-waiting of Gustav III's queen consort, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. With Augusta and Ulla von Fersen, she came to be identified and famous as one of the three graces of the royal court, expressed by the poet Johan Henric Kellgren in Gracernas döpelse (The Baptism of the Graces). Kellgren had actually been employed as the private teacher of her sons from 1777 to 1780.[1] She was admired for her beauty and charm, and is often referred to by the diarists and memoirists of the era. Her spouse was described as both ugly and boring, but reportedly, they lived harmoniously with each other, and it was said that she used to inform him about the compliments given to her by her lovers.[2]

Duchess Charlotte give her the following characterization in her famous journal: "She is very witty and educated but quite mean and only amusing when she can make fun of some one, which she seldom refrain from doing, and this makes her unreliable and heartless. She is regarded as quite much disposed for love adventures, although she has a great ability to conceal them; at present, however, she has not managed to do so, because her lover has the same sense of humor as she does, and their common weakness has exposed them. People hungry for scandals wish to claim that it is not so much inclination that attaches her to her lovers as it is the presents they give her. I admit that I do not believe such a vile accusation, and generally I do not believe half of what people are saying, for at present every one in Stockholm is terribly mean. The one presently enjoying the affection of countess Meyerfelt is a colonel lieutenant baron Ehrensvärd, who are especially witty but quite mean. He was previously well seen by the King, but has fallen from grace since the last Assembly of the estates, were he proved himself to be to talkative." [3]

She died in Stockholm in 1817, aged 72.

In the 19th century the poet Oxenstierna, once the governor of her two sons, referred to her as: "a beauty, whom the old world would have worshipped on their knees as Diana and Venus".[4]

References

  1. ↑ Johan August Meyerfeldt, urn:sbl:9330, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Lennart Lundquist), hämtad 2014-12-31.
  2. ↑ F. U. Wrangel: Personhistorisk tidsskrift. Första årgången. 1898-1899. utgifven af Svenska Autografsällskapet. Stockholm. Kungl. Boktryckeriet. P. A. Norstedt & söner. 1900
  3. ↑ Carl Forsstrand: De tre gracerna, minnen och anteckningar från Gustaf III:s Stockholm. Hugo Gebers förlag, 1912
  4. ↑ F. U. Wrangel: Personhistorisk tidsskrift. Första årgången. 1898-1899. utgifven af Svenska Autografsällskapet. Stockholm. Kungl. Boktryckeriet. P. A. Norstedt & söner. 1900