Information

Rosenborg Castle was built in 1606-34 as a royal ‘summer-cottage’ outside Copenhagen. The castle was built by king Christian IV (1577-1648), and contains, among other things, some of the best-preserved civil interiors from the Renaissance in Denmark. One of these rooms is the so-called Winter Room, the king’s daily living room, which was decorated with Dutch paintings in the years 1615-1619. A framework was set up and for this purpose no less than approximately 85 paintings were acquired in Antwerp, done in oil on wooden panels. Seven different artists can be identified, and some can be named, such as Joos de Momper (II), Peter Snayers and Louis de Caullery. The paintings seem to be standard goods – one of the motifs are known in at least two other copies: in museums in Bruxelles and in Prague. The decoration is, as far as known, relatively unaltered since the time of Christian IV, and thus provides a unique insight into the interior design ideals of the time. Interestingly, the decoration apparently had no program from the start. One gets the suspicion that the paintings were purchased for their size rather than their motif. 

Peter Kristiansen, Curator (June 2025) 

Collection catalogues

The treasure collection at Rosenborg Castle: the inventories of 1696 and 1718: Royal Heritage and collecting in Denmark-Norway 1500-1900
Hein, Jørgen
Copenhagen 2009