The Royal Danish CollectionAmalienborgThe PalaceInterior and objectsThe Cabinet of Orders
Beletage

The Cabinet of Orders

In the Cabinet of Orders is an exhibition of the royal orders, of which the most important are the Order of Dannebrog and the Order of the Elephant.

When the piano nobile was last restored Nicolai Abildgaard’s original trompe-l’oeil ceiling was revealed. The mirrors, console tables, and lunettes on the end wall towards the palace square are also Abildgaard’s work. The vases in the room stem from Christian VIII’s home.

Relations

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.

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.