The Royal Danish CollectionAmalienborgThe PalaceInterior and objectsThe Appartement Hall
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The Appartement Hall

In the Appartement Hall you can see The Golden Tableau, a table decoration with gilt bronze copies of a number of works by the major Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Also in the hall are busts and portraits of Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie in their youth, when they were still the heirs to the throne.

The Appartement Hall was furnished as one of the main representation rooms for Hereditary Prince Frederik following his assumption of the palace in 1794. The hall has been restored in accordance with Nicolai Abildgaard’s original watercolour sketch, in which one can see a corresponding green silk wallpaper and the same purple nuances. The gilt ceiling is a beautiful example of the so-called trompe-l’oeil technique, which creates the illusion of a three dimensional coffered ceiling. The hall is characterised by strict classical symmetry, which is underlined by the overdoors with ancient chariots and griffins above the mirrors.

The sofas and chairs in the hall belonged to Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie. The floor and the chandelier are from around 1900, when Christian X and Queen Alexandrine moved into the palace as newly-wed heirs to the throne.

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Nicolai Abildgaard

Painter and architect, Nicolai Abildgaard is well-known for many renowned artworks, the most famous of which is The Wounded Philoctetes, painted in Rome.

The Royal Representation Rooms

The piano nobile features some of Amalienborg’s most beautiful interiors and is used for official functions by HRH Princess Benedikte as well as TRH Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. Large parts of the piano nobile were created by the painter Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (1743-1809), who mastered several arts. He was responsible for renovating the palace following the royal assumption of Amalienborg, as a result of the fire at Christiansborg, in 1794. The palace, which was originally known as Levetzau’s Palace after its noble owner, was taken over by Hereditary Prince Frederik (son of Frederik V and Queen Julianne Marie) and his wife, Hereditary Princess Sofie Frederikke. Their son Christian VIII later resided in the palace, which later became known as Christian VIII’s Palace. Abildgaard’s interiors are neoclassical in style and characterised by columns, pilasters, straight lines, and strict symmetry with a fairly bold choice of colours – both by the standards of the time and today. Parts of the interiors were recreated according to Abildgaard’s watercolour sketches of the decor during a thorough renovation of the palace in the 1980s.

Book a Guided tour

The Amalienborg Museum offers guided tours for groups to the regular exhibitions. Book a guided tour here E-mail: booking@kosa.dk. Monday-Friday between 10 am and 3 pm Phone: 3318 6055. The line is open Tuesday – Friday between 10 am and 12 pm Practical information Duration: A guided tour takes approximately 1 hr. Price: Find updated prices here Max. participant: 25 persons Guided tours must be booked at least two weeks ahead Please notice Your booking is only valid when you have received confirmation Guided tours outside normal opening hours are possible by paying for guards See all tours in the left menu

Busts of Prince Christian (VIII) Frederik and Princess Caroline Amalie

Bronze busts of Prince Christian (VIII) Frederik and Princess Caroline Amalie. crafted by Bertel Thorvaldsen, 1821.

Jason with the Golden Fleece

The Golden Tableau comprises eleven miniatures of classical statues, of which ten are by Bertel Thorvaldsen, and the eleventh by his pupil, Pietro Tenerani. Jason with the Golden Fleece from 1803 was Thorvaldsen’s breakthrough work, which made it possible for him to establish himself as an artist in Rome after his studies. Like the other bronze copies, it was modelled by Pietro Galli at the beginning of the 1820s and cast in bronze by Wilhelm Hopfgarten. The figure expresses heroism and masculine strength, which is a little curious for a statue of Jason. In ancient mythology Jason was the son of a king who had been ousted, and in order to regain his father’s throne he had to embark on a perilous journey to capture a golden ram’s fleece, which he succeeded in doing with the help of Medea, the daughter of a king who was a sorceress. But because he was dependent upon the help of a woman Jason wasn’t seen as a particularly heroic figure, which he has clearly become in Thorvaldsen’s interpretation.

Fig leaves

These fig leaves were made in order to make the male figures in The Golden Tableau more respectable. They were presumably made shortly after the bronze figures were delivered in the mid-1820s, as other statues by Thorvaldsen were also given fig leaves around this time. According to the accompanying instructions the fig leaves should be attached to figures with sewing thread.

Jewel of Pearl, Gold, and Precious Stones

The pendant was a present to Princess Caroline Amalie from the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen’s friend, Count Sommariva. The jewel is composed of a pearl mounted with gold and represents a rabbit with a diamond and a ruby as eyes. During the baroque, unusually formed pearls were seen as a gift from God. Goldsmiths were inspired by the individual pearl and freely invented a figure which was supplemented with gold and often with precious stones. Several examples of this tradition can be seen in The Green Cabinet at Rosenborg. In the 1800s the tradition was revived, and the rabbit pendant stems from this period. The present was given in 1821, when Princess Caroline Amalie and her consort Prince Christian (VIII) Frederik stayed in Rome for an extended period during a three-year journey abroad and associated with Thorvaldsen and the circle around the famous artist.