Portrait of Christen Scheel

The Danish Envoy in Russia

The portrait of Christen Scheel (1743-71) was painted by the Swedish artist Alexander Roslin in 1764.

Christen Scheel is the son of Jørgen Scheel (1718-86) and sole heir to the family estates. At the age of just 25, he is appointed Danish envoy to Russia and settles in Saint Petersburg with his wife and his children.

The count is a successful diplomat, and the future looks bright and happy when he suddenly dies, only 28 years old. There is talk of poisoning, but an autopsy shows that the cause of death was most likely a failed vaccination against smallpox.

His young widow, Eleonore Agnes Raben, is left alone in Saint Petersburg, suddenly in charge of getting her family back to Denmark. She manages and settles at the family estate of Ulstrup where she remains, still a widow, for the rest of her life.