Karl Heinrich von Hoym

Karl Heinrich Graf von Hoym or Count Karl Heinrich von Hoym (18 June 1694 – 22 April 1736) was a diplomat and cabinet minister of the Electorate of Saxony, who was later disgraced and imprisoned, and killed himself. Biography Karl Heinrich was born in Dresden into the distinguished noble family von Hoym, the youngest son of Baron Ludwig Gebhard von Hoym and brother of Count Adolph Magnus von Hoym, and was baptised on 19 June 1694 in the chapel of the Residenz at Dresden. He was born Freiherr ("Baron") von Hoym, and on 18 July 1711 together with his three brothers was raised to the rank of Count of the Empire (Reichsgraf). He set out on the Grand Tour in 1713 and eventually settled in Paris, where after 3 years he had developed his reputation sufficiently to be appointed Saxon envoy to the Court of Versailles in 1720 after the death of the previous ambassador, Burkhard von Suhm, at the suggestion of the First Minister of Saxony, Jacob Heinrich von Flemming. In 1725 he was raised to the rank of ambassador. While at Versailles he was close to the young Louis XV and his wife Maria Leszczyńska. He acquired a great knowledge of French culture and literature, and an extensive private library. He also succeeded, during the speculations of Law, in making himself a substantial fortune. Accordingly, to his stand in society and wealth, Hoym arrayed his Parisian Hôtel with tapestries, Chinese and Saxon porcelain, bronze statues and, most importantly, paintings of great value by renown Old Masters. His impressive collection encompassed works by Guido Reni, Francesco Albani, Annibale Carracci, Peter Paul Rubens, Paul Bril, and Claude Lorrain, some of which were later acquired for the Royal-Electoral Painting Gallery ( nowadays Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister) in Dresden.