Inside Nääs Castle, there are artworks by members of the English-Swedish Montalba family.
Anthony Rubens Montalba was August Abrahamson’s eldest brother. He was born in 1810 in Karlskrona and was then named Salomon. In his youth, he travelled to England, where he was employed by a company called Montalba—named after its owner. After the owner’s death, he was allowed to take over the business and Montalba’s fortune on the condition that he adopted his benefactor’s name, and he also changed his first name. Anthony Rubens worked as a businessman and genre painter and was very wealthy.
Anthony Rubens Montalba married Emeline Davies and they had five children. Four of them became artists. The family purchased a palace in Venice, where they spent long periods, but they were cosmopolitan and also stayed in Sweden from time to time. However, it was in Venice that the family felt most at home, and all family members are buried there.
Research is ongoing about the Montalbas and will be presented in due course.