Not only was Nicodemus Tessin the leading architect in Scandinavia during the late Baroque, he also occupies an important position in the history of the visual arts in Sweden as introducer of continentual ideals, as collector and a powerful administrator. A key figure in all the arts, he controlled the building activities of the Crown, town planning and state ceremonies, as well as monumental painting and sculpture. The book depicts and discusses Tessin's career and his architectural work in a broad European context. It also includes a series of photographic interpretations of Tessin's architecture, by the American architectural photographer John Kimmich.