The Royal Danish CollectionAmalienborgThe PalaceInterior and objectsThe Fabergé Chamber
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The Fabergé Chamber

On display in the Fabergé Chamber is Russian jewellery from the period 1860-1917, with a focus on the close ties between the Danish and Russian monarchies. A selection of the Danish Crown Jewels will also be exhibited.

Among the great jewellers of his time, the Russian Peter Carl Fabergé enjoyed special status – not least because of the famous Easter eggs his company produced for the Russian Imperial House.

The most spectacular objects in the Fabergé Chamber are a pair of sumptuous wine coolers and a gigantic champagne cooler (kovsh) of gilt silver.

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1. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg c. 1890. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Handle of light grey agate with white stripes, which may have been used for a walking stick or umbrella. Has a gold mounting in Rococo style at both ends. The handle, with its unusual size and shape, is something of a mystery. It is attributed Perchin due to the workmanship.
2. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg c. 1900. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Handle of a walking stick with a flat, rounded knob made of green nephrite from Siberia. The cylindrical part is richly decorated with gilt ribbons, translucent rubyred enamel on a guilloché base, white/green enamel as well as inlaid diamonds. In the cylinder is a screw for the shaft.
3. Fabergé, workshop not identified, St. Petersburg 1898.
Electric bell push in the shape of an elephant made of obsidian with rose-cut diamonds as eyes. Carved stone animals were among Fabergé’s specialties, and the company produced many items with elephants. This one stands on a cover of enamelled gold, laid over a bowenite plinth on four gilt legs. It was bought by Maria Feodorovna in 1898 and given to her father Christian IX.
4. Fabergé, workshop not identified, Moscow between 1899 and 1908. Property of HM Queen Anne-Marie.
Bell for table use made of quartz with gold mounting at the top. The handle has a pearl at the top and is decorated with brown guilloché enamel and vertical friezes with tiny bells on. Inside the bell is a gold chain with a ring at the end.
5. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1890s. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Bonbonnière (container for bonbons) of golden quartz in the shape of a slice of lemon. Mounted in gold with small rose-cut diamonds. A beautiful example of Faberge’s socalled objets de fantaisie, which play with the viewer’s perception. The workman­ship is so accomplished that it almost makes the hard stone seem juicy.
6. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1890s. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Small beaker (charka) of grey agate with a gold frame. At the top a gold band with transparent red enamel and four garlands in green gold, which are gathered in square mounts, each with an emerald. The four deer hooves are an invention which Fabergé’s com-petitors most likely wouldn’t have thought of.
7. Fabergé, workmaster H. Wigström, St. Petersburg 1912. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Small box of rhodonite with partly enamelled gold mountings, which are decorated on the lid with small green leaves of guilloché enamel. The clasp is dusted with tiny diamonds. This type of stone is rarely seen with such a regular pink surface.
8. Fabergé, workmaster H. Wigström, St. Petersburg 1903-04.
Table clock of dark green nephrite with gold ornamentation in the shape of a torch with crossed arrows and folded ribbons. The mechanism is by Swiss Henry Moser. The clock belonged to Queen Louise, who received it as a present from her daughter Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. Fabergé’s clocks are unique pieces, but usually have a white clock face like this one. Most were produced in the workshop led by Michael Perchin and later by Henrik Wigström.
9. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1902. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Hexagonal seal with handles of aquamarine crystal. The gold mounting has six panels, covered with ruby red enamel on guilloché ground with rays that radiate from a small rose-cut diamond in the middle of each panel. Belonged to Frederik IX, its imprint being the “sailor king’s” crowned mirror monogram with an anchor.
10. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg c. 1890. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Round bowl made of obsidian (volcanic glass) on a gold foot with curved grooves and curved gold handles with various details. At the ends of the handles are blue spheres of lapis lazuli. Most likely identical with a bowl bought by the Imperial Couple in 1890.
11. Fabergé, workmaster J. Rappoport, St. Petersburg 1892. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Pumpkin-shaped salt cellar of gilt silver with fluted sides and rocaille edges. Engraved on the base “L 26 May 1892”. Golden wedding present to Christian IX and Queen Louise from the Countesses Koutousov (two Russian ladies-in-waiting), as is stated on an accompanying note.
12. Fabergé, workmaster J. Rappoport, St. Petersburg 1892. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Square salt cellar of gilt silver with inclined sides fluted on the insides and rocaille edges. Engraved on the base “L 26 May 1892”. Golden wedding present to Christian IX and Queen Louise from Princess Elisabeth Obolensky. This and the corresponding salt cellar are examples of timelessly elegant Fabergé products, which are devoid of the company’s characteristic whimsy.
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13. Fabergé, workshop not identified, St. Petersburg between 1908 and 1917.
Picture frame made of holly with a photo of Prince Knud as a child in a sailor suit. The decoration is limited to silver roses in the corners. Fabergé’s products became more simplified in later years, both due to changing tastes and because of the World War (even though the frame may quite possibly stem from before the war).
14. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg before 1899. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Round picture frame with gold edges and branch ornamentation in gold. Oval coloured photo of Maria Feodorovna. The frame is of red agate with a sort of stem beneath the portrait.
15. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1896. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Frame with a round, slightly curved sheet, covered with golden brown guilloché enamel. Around the photo­graph of Crown Princess Margaretha of Sweden (HM the Queen’s maternal grandmother) is a round edge of small rose-cut diamonds. The outer edge is covered with opal coloured enamel, which is broken by double gold rib­bons. Topmost a creased gold bow.
16. Fabergé, workmaster J. V. Aarne, St. Petersburg 1898.
Triangular picture frame with a round photo of Queen Louise. The frame is covered with a peach coloured, translucent enamel on a guilloché base with flowing lines that radiate from the centre. Present from Maria Feodorovna to Christian IX.
17. Fabergé, workmaster J. V. Aarne, St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1903. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Triangular picture frame with an oval black and white photo of Michael Nikolaevich (1832-1909), Queen Alexandrine’s maternal grandfather. The three white enamelled gold staves are capped with gold acorns with green enamel.
18. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1890s. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Frame with miniature portrait of Grand Duchess Anastasia, Queen Alexandrine’s mother. The frame is made of gold with light blue enamel and laurel garlands as well as a bow on the topmost edge. The portrait is set with half pearls, and the reverse of the frame is faced with ivory.
19. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1895.
Picture frame with an oval photo of the young Queen Alexandrine. Covered by transparent, orange enamel on a moiré patterned background. On the top of the frame is a silver bow.
20. Fabergé, workmaster J. V. Aarne, St. Petersburg 1901.
Picture frame with photo of the young Queen Alexandrine. The photo is placed in a rhomboid with white, transparent enamel over the guilloché rays that radiate from the portrait. Bought from Fabergé by Maria Feodorovna in 1901.
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21. P. Ovchinnikov, Moscow late 1800s.
Cigarette case, symmetrically deco­rated with cloisonné enamel. Gilded on the inside with a dedication to Prince Christian (X) from Baron N. Gersdorff 11/9 1891.
22. G. Klingert, Moscow 1890s.
Silver match case, decorated in the old Russian style with cloisonné enamel in relatively subdued colours. Klingert’s company is known for enamel work characterised with many small filigree arabesques on a turquoise background.
23. G. Klingert, Moscow late 1800s.
Silver match case, decorated in the old Russian style with cloisonné enamel. The maker is uncertain as the match case is unstamped.
24. A. Spiridonov, Moscow 1865.
Silver cigarette case with detailed engraving of the Kremlin in Moscow seen from the river. Both case and box show obvious signs of use. Inherited from Queen Ingrid’s estate and was probably used by Christian X and/or Frederik IX.
25. Alexandre, St. Petersburg 1892.
Leather cigarette case with a colour­ful depiction of a sleigh with troika in a winter landscape.
26. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1890s. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Table lighter made of bowenite in the shape of an oblong egg. The lower part of the egg is set in a small gold stand, where an encircling ring, diamond-studded ribbons and four garlands meet in square gold mountings, each with a ruby. The egg stands on four cast deer hooves — a playful thought which is typical of Fabergé.
27. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1890. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Oval bowl made of obsidian (volcanic glass) on a silver base, with two cast silver doves. Bought by Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna in 1890 and must have been a present to Christian IX or Queen Louise. Because of its flat bottom, it may be supposed that the bowl was intended as an ashtray.
28. Fabergé, workmaster A. J. Nevalainen, St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1904.
Table lighter made of pale red porcelain with silver mounting. Objects which combine silver with other materials — glass, wood or, as here, ceramics — are a characteristic of Anders Johan Nevelainen, who worked for Fabergé throughout the company’s heyday.
29. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1890s. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Cigarette case with openwork latticework in 18 carat gold with putti, peacocks, and flowers. The lattice is overlaid a shell of smoky quartz. Fabergé’s inspiration from 18th century’s France was mainly neoclassical, but here is an example of the Rococo style that came before it.
30. Fabergé, workmaster A. Holmström, St. Petersburg 1896.
Cigarette case with imperial crown and a lock made of a round brilliant. Both sides are covered with light blue enamel on a guilloché ground with rays that radiate from the crown, which is covered with brilliant- and rose-cut diamonds. Given to Crown Prince Frederik (VIII) by Nicholas II on the coronation in Moscow, 1896.
31. Unreadable hallmarks, apparently made in Moscow between 1908 and 1917. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Cigarette case made of gilt silver with red enamel on guilloché ground. A simple and elegant example of the particular depth of surface which can be created with the guilloché technique.
32. A. Adler, St. Petersburg between 1908 and 1917. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte
Silver cigarette case with space for matches, a metal striking surface and a space for the wick. Covered with transparent, light pink enamel on a moiré patterned ground. Decorated along the edges with stripes of gold with engraved leaves. The guilloché enamel is of as high a quality as that of Fabergé, with whom Adler also collaborated.
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33. Stamped IGT (unidentified), c. 1900.
Silver kovsh, decorated on the exterior with the Russian double-headed eagle. There is a little triangular beak attached at the front and a handle with the contour of a bird’s tail at the back. Decorated with stems and flowers in cloisonné enamel on a light blue ground. Many companies, includ­ing Fabergé, produced similar “birds”, though with very different decoration.
34. V. Savinsky, Moscow 1885.
Gold cup and fork with cloisonné enamel. Made during Alexander III’s reign when the old Russian style was truly setting the fashion. The two parts were almost certainly not intended as a set, but share a specially made gift box by Danish jeweller A. Michelsen.
35. Grachev Brothers, St. Petersburg 1880.
Small gilt kovsh with triangular, flat handle. The kovsh was a traditional implement, which gave jewellers inspiration for many decorative objects — such as the champagne cooler in the window niche. The edge and handle are tastefully decorated with cloisonné enamel.
36. N. V. Aleksejev, Moscow 1894.
Small gold cup with cloisonné enamel in the old Russian style.
37. Grachev Brothers, workmaster A. Petrov, St. Petersburg 1894. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Round bread dish of gilt silver in the old Russian style with cloisonné enamel. At the top of the dish’s mirror is Christian IX’s crowned monogram in relief, which must have been mounted later and is clearly lopsided. The dish was, however, originally engraved with the Danish and Russian coats of arms with the dates 1888 and 1894 and the city names ‘Copenhagen’ and ‘St. Petersburg’, the latter in cyrillic script. The inscription reads: ‘From privy councillor V.A. Ratkov-Rojnov and chamberlain P.I. Glukhovskoy’. The two powerful Russians had received The Order of Dannebrog’s Grand Cross in 1888, and that same year the Grachev company was made purveyor to the Danish court.
38. Grachev Brothers, workmaster A. Petrov, St. Petersburg 1894. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Silver gilt salt cellar with cloisonné enamel. Forms a set with nr. 37.
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39. I. Sazikov, Moscow 1867. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Silver tea service with silver gilt decorations, given to Christian IX and Queen Louise as a silver wedding present by Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna. Seen here are, as well as the dish, a tall coffee pot, a chubby teapot, a cream jug, a sugar bowl with lid, a large bowl for marmalade, a tea strainer and sugar tongs. A large samovar (water boiler) with drip-bowl also forms part of the tea service.
40. P. Ovchinnikov, Moscow 1875.
Silver gilt vodka cup on a stem with geometric decoration in champlevé enamel. This technique involves filling the enamel in depressions in the surface, which is the ‘opposite’ of cloisonné, where soldered bands or filigree separate the fields
41. P. Ovchinnikov, Moscow 1880.
Small silver gilt drinking vessel, decorated with geometric patterns in green and red cloisonné enamel on a turquoise background. Four horse-like animals lend the decoration extra life.
42. P. Ovchinnikov, Moscow, late 1800s.
Silver drinking cup (charka) in the old Russian style. In form and decoration it mimics wine beakers of the 1600s. On the bottom is a disc featuring a chased bird, and the handle is decorated with a relief of a Sirin — a mythological bird with a girl’s head, that sings of future joy. Engraved along the upper edge is an Old East Slavonic saying: “Drink with restraint, the wine is innocent but drunkenness is accursed”. The charka is thought to have been brought to Denmark by Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1892. It belonged to Christian X.
43. P. Ovchinnikov, Moscow 1894. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Silver gilt bread dish in the old Russian style with highly detailed cloisonné enamel flower decoration. In the centre are the Danish crowned coat of arms and the cyrillic inscription ‘St. Petersburg City Duma 14 November 1894’. That Ovchinnikov had in 1888 been made purveyor to the Danish court may have been an incentive for this magnificent piece.
44. P. Ovchinnikov, Moscow 1894. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Silver gilt and cloisonné enamel salt cellar with lid and four spherical feet. On the lid St. Petersburg’s city arms. Forms a set with nr. 43.
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45. W. Keibel, St. Petersburg 1860s.
The Order of St. Catherine’s insignia. Russian ladies’ order, which was founded in 1714 by Peter the Great in recognition of Catherine I’s efforts during the war against the Ottomans in 1711. The badge or jewel consists of a diamond studded cross with a medallion, on which the Christian martyr Catherine of Alexandria is seen in front of a wheel with a cross and palm branch. Until 1917 the Russian Empresses were the grand masters of this order, which was bestowed on women from the Russian Imperial House as well as woman from the royalty and high nobility. Given to the Royal Collection by Maria Feodorovna in 1911.
46. W. Keibel, second half of the 1800s. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
The Order of St. Catherine’s insignia in a slightly different version with a small hanger. Originally bestowed on Princess Dagmar (court hunting mistress Castenskjold, daughter of Frederik VIII). The badge was bought in 1963 by Frederik IX.
47. Attributed to C. E. Bolin, St. Petersburg 1870s. Deposited by Count Ingolf and Countess Sussie of Rosenborg
Magnificent tiara in the kokoshnik style with 39 sparkling fringes, which become wider towards the center. Each fringe consists of eight diamonds with a tiny one on top, and between them are small fringes of three diamonds each. The tiara boasts no less than 465 stones. It was a gift from Alexander II to his niece Anastasia Mikhailovna on the occasion of her wedding in 1879. She passed it on to her daughter Alexandrine, who brought it into the Danish royal family. The tiara may also has been made by jeweler F. Köchli who is known to have made a similar piece.
48. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg, end of the 1800s. Property of The Danish Royal Family’s Entailed Estate for Movables.
Perfume flacon of smoky quartz. The body looks somewhat like an egg with faceted panels and chased rhomboids. Fluted, pointed lid with lock of gilt silver with a wreath of rose-cut diamonds and a larger one on the top.
49. Unknown jeweller, end of the 1800s.
Drop-shaped Russian aquamarine crystal with diamond-studded gold mounting. May have been part of a brooch, but may also have been worn around the neck on a pearl necklace. The jewel belonged to Queen Alexandrine’s mother, Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna (1860-1922), who was the cousin of Alexander III.
50. Fabergé, workmaster F. Köchli, St. Petersburg 1893.
Pear-shaped gold flacon with two large pearls, studded with a large number of small diamonds and rubies. At the top a faceted diamond in a hexagonal mounting. The flacon can be filled with perfume, but is in itself a unique item of jewellery, which can be worn as such. A christmas gift to Queen Louise from Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna in 1893.
51. C.E. Bolin, workmaster R. Schven, St. Petersburg 1883.
Diamond brooch in the shape of the Russian imperial crown with miniatures of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna. The brooch is thickly studded with diamonds and two pearls. The portraits are attributed to Johannes Zehngraff. The brooch is without stamps, but a similar one was given to Queen Lovisa which is known to have been made by Bolin/Schven. Given to Queen Louise on the Imperial Couple’s coronation in 1883.
52. Fabergé, workmaster A. Holmström, St. Petersburg 1896.
Diamond studded brooch in the shape of the Russian imperial crown, produced in eighteen copies on the occasion of Nicholas II’s coronation in Moscow, 1896. Given to all the then Grand Duchesses of Russia, including Grand Duchess Anastasia, who handed this brooch down to her daughter, Queen Alexandrine. Only two other coronation brooches are known to exist today. The brooch was left to The Royal Danish Collection by Queen Alexandrine’s grandchild, Princess Elisabeth (1935-2018).
53. With the hallmark ”A” (unidentified), apparently made in Moscow.
Heart-shaped brooch with gilded edge and ruby red guilloché enamel. An accompanying box shows that the brooch was bought at Nicholls & Ewing in St. Petersburg.
54. Fabergé (unstamped), c. 1900.
Two gold shirt buttons with yellow, translucent enamel on a guilloché ground, encircled by very small rose-cut diamonds. Belonged to Prince Harald (1876-1949), who was the son of Frederik VIII and may be presumed to have received the buttons from his aunt, Maria Feodorovna.
55. S. Arndt, St. Petersburg 1866.
Gold bracelet with oval photographs of the Grand Ducal Couple Alexander (III) and Maria Feodorovna. The portraits have oval lids with locks, with the letters D and A written with diamonds. A small imperial crown and a flower are placed between the photographs, which are flanked by stars formed of diamonds and rubies. Present to Princess Thyra from the heirs to the throne on the occasion of their wedding, 9 November 1866.
56. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1869.
Gold bracelet with oval, coloured portrait photos of Crown Prince Frederik (VIII) and Princess Lovisa under lids with locks, where the letters F and L are written with diamonds. A Danish royal crown is placed at the top between the photos, and three pearls in diamond-studded stars are seen at the bottom and the sides. Obviously a Danish imitation of the corresponding Russian bracelet, and this one was also given to Princess Thyra by the portrayed wedding couple, who were married on 28 July 1869.
57. Unidentified workshop, second half of the 1800s.
Two armbands or bracelets given to The Royal Danish Collection by Maria Feodorovna in 1911. Both the oval clasps feature plaited hair under the glass, which is framed by diamonds. On one a crowned double ‘C’ is written on the glass with diamonds, on the other the word ‘SOUVENIR’. It is possible that Maria Feodorovna used them as mourning jewellery after her father Christian IX’s death in 1906, but the clasps were most likely mounted with rows of pearls originally (like nr. 83-84 in the display case with Crown Jewels). They may have been a romantic gift from Christian IX to Queen Louise.
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58. Nicholls & Plincke, St. Petersburg 1870s.
Seal made of gold and smoky topaz. It makes the mark of a crowned mirrored L monogram in a garter, which is something of a mystery, since neither Queen Louise nor her daughter-in-law Queen Lovisa were members of the British Order of the Garter.
59. Nicholls & Plincke, workmaster S. Arndt, St. Petersburg 1870s.
Seal with blue handle of lapis lazuli, which belonged to Christian IX. Under a seal with the Danish coat of arms are two other possibilities hidden: the King’s mirrored monogram with the figure IX and crown, and innermost a small mirrored C with a crown. The seals thus become progressively more personal.
60. Unknown, c. 1900. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Paper knife of green nephrite with rounded ends. At one end the cyril­lic initials ‘MB’ are seen in gold, and above these a rather strange Russian crown. The initials do not fit the House of Romanov or their closest family, but may indicate Maria Pavlovna (grandchild of Alexander II) and Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, who married in Russia in 1908.
61. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg 1901. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Paper knife with a blade of green nephrite. Gold trim with light red enamel over a guilloché ‘fish scale’ pattern, and tiny rose-cut diamonds along the edge. The paper knife was most likely bought from Fabergé by Maria Feodorovna in 1901.
62. Fabergé, workshop unknown, 1895. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Paper knife of transparent, slightly light green nephrite. Pointed at one end and rounded at the other, with inlaid cyrillic letters in gold: POMNI (remember). A paper knife with this inscription is noted on an invoice from Fabergé to Maria Feodorovna.
63. Fabergé, workshop unknown, c. 1900. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Small, curved paper knife of green nephrite with gold rocaille at the narrow end. Can with great certainty be attributed to Fabergé due to the exquisite design in Louis XVI style and the detailing of the gold. The paper knife previously belonged to Queen Ingrid.
64. Fabergé, ascribed to workmaster A. J. Nevalainen. St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1904.
Tray for writing implements made of mahogany with silver holders. The little button used to open the locked lid is set with a ruby. There is a punched frieze of silver laurel leaves along the tray’s edges. One of Fabergé’s simple but luxurious utilitarian objects.
65. G. Klingert, workmaster A. Spiridonov, Moscow 1892.
Gold box for stamps with six separate spaces. The surface is decorated with cloisonné in a honeycomb pattern, with the blue, red and white enamel forming a pattern of stylized flowers. Belonged to Christian IX.
66. Fabergé, workmaster A. K. Ringe, St. Petersburg 1901. Property of HE Count Ingolf and Countess Sussie of Rosenborg.
Gold pencil cover with removable cap, decorated with red enamel on a guilloché zig-zag pattern. Made by the female jeweller Anna Karlovna Ringe, whose workshop produced a number of small objects in gold and silver for Fabergé.
67. Grachev Brothers, workmaster A. Petrov, St. Petersburg 1890s.
A simple small gold cup with red enamel on a guilloché ground. It is probably meant for drinking vodka, and it is therefore a matter of taste whether it belongs on a writing desk or not. The company is primarily known for cloisonné, but also mastered the guilloché technique.
68. Fabergé, workmaster K. G. H. Armfelt, St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1904.
Electric bell push in French Empire style with two pushbuttons. The wooden surface is decorated with a silver swan with spread wings and bent neck, which sits on a sort of console or vase. Silver gilt laurel vines, hung with fluttering ribbons, spread from the sides. It was used by Christian X to call his courtiers.
69. Fabergé, workmaster M. Perchin, St. Petersburg between 1899 and 1903. Property of HRH Princess Benedikte.
Plinth-shaped bell push made of bowenite on four spherical feet. A panel on the upper surface is covered with a clear red guilloché enamel, which radiates from the button — a moonstone encircled by small gold pearls. Entwined gold laurel wreaths surround the button, and on the sides are gold arrows entwined with leaves.
70. S. Arndt, St. Petersburg c. 1870.
Silver paperweight with photos of the Grand Ducal heirs to the throne Alexander (III) and Maria Feodorovna, who is on the opposite side. On the surfaces twine stylised silver flowers with inset lapis lazuli stones, some of which have fallen out.
71. S. Arndt, St. Petersburg, before 1896. Property of HM Queen Margrethe II.
Paperweight with a photo of Maria Feodorovna. Rock crystal with a finely crafted piece of birch stem in silver, which can be slid back and forth over the oval photo frame on a spring.
72. Unknown workshop, St. Petersburg between 1850-75.
Paperweight with a figure of a boy sledging on a block of rock crystal with a polished surface. The boy seems to be about to fall. Such compositions with silver figures and gemstones were produced by several companies at the time.
73. I. Lagutyaev, Yekaterinburg 1850-1875.
Paperweight made of Kalkan quartz with an arrangement of berries and grapes made of various gemstones — leaves of serpentine, grapes of amethyst, raspberries of rhodonite from Ural, and unripe berries of quartz. A characteristic piece of stonecutting from Ural, where many berries of this type were cut using stones from Ural, Siberia, and the Alta mountains.
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74. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1907.
String of pearls which is wound like a rope and ends in two tassels, which is held together by intermediary pieces featuring emeralds and diamonds. A so-called sautoir, intended to hang loosely from the shoulders to below the waist. Some of the pearls were once part of one of Christian V’s outfits, but the majority are oriental pearls which came into the Rosenborg collection in the 1700s.
75. Unidentified jeweler. Miniature portrait by N. C. Hansen 1867.
Crowned, diamond studded miniature of Christian IX, given to Queen Louise as an order of merit portrait on the occasion of the Royal Couple’s silver wedding anniversary in 1867. The miniature is affixed to its fastener with the riband of the Order of Dannebrog.
76. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1907.
Diamond in silver gilt mounting. On the reverse a needle. The gemstone belonged to Frederik VI’s Queen Marie and thereafter to Queen Louise, who left it to the Crown.
77. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1908.
Brooch in the shape of a wild rose. A pointed rose-cut diamond in the centre is encircled by seven petals, each with a ruby which is surrounded by small brilliant- and rose-cut diamonds. The central gemstone was part of a ring, which Christian VI gave to Queen Sophie Magdalene as a wedding present.
78. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1908.
Three fasteners, which each consist of a ruby surrounded by rose-cut diamonds. On the reverse gold fasteners. The rubies stem from Princess Charlotte Amalie’s collection.
79. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1907.
Rose-cut diamond mounted in gold with a fastener on the reverse. Michelsen noted it as a “eyelet or carrying element for a hanging jewel”. The gemstone stems from a hairpin which belonged to Queen Sophie Magdalene.
80. Unidentified jeweler. Miniature portrait by J. Møller 1840.
Diamond studded miniature portrait of Christian VIII in general’s uniform. On the reverse is a layer of plaited hair (no doubt the King’s) covered by glass. The chain of pearls consists of 161 Norwegian pearls. The portrait belonged to Queen Caroline Amalie, who in her will left it to Queen Louise, who left it to the Crown.
81. Ernest Kees, Paris 1892.
Fan with mother-of-pearl slats. The 16 leaves are covered with chicken skin with watercolours and gilding. The reverse side of the fan shows a homage scene with a royal couple under a baldachin. On this side the British, Russian, Danish and Greek coats of arms are seen with Rococo cartouches. Golden wedding present to Queen Louise from her Russian grandchildren. In 1910 Queen Lovisa chose to incorporate the fan in the collection of Crown Jewels.
82. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1907.
Gold ring with gemstones from older items of jewellery: an emerald as well as four large and eight small diamonds.
83. 1810/A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1907.
Two bracelets each with five rows of pearls. One lock has an octagonal frame of diamonds which encloses a diamond studded wreath of leaves with a tourmaline in the centre; the other has a circular frame of diamonds which encloses a wreath of leaves with a yellow rose-cut diamond. Originally made for Queen Marie around 1810 using two large diamonds from Queen Sophie Magdalene’s estate. These were used in the new diamond garniture in 1840, and the present locks were made in 1907.
84. A. Michelsen, Copenhagen 1907-08.
Bracelet with five rows of pearls and a lock with a diamond in the centre, surrounded by emeralds and diamonds. The lock was made in 1907 like the two corresponding ones, but the bracelet was made the following year using surplus pearls.

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Collection history

The museum in Christian VIII’s Palace is a recent addition to Rosenborg’s royal collections, which were founded by Frederik III in the 1660s. At the beginning of the 19th century the idea of opening Rosenborg to the public arose, and in 1812 the principle, which is still current, was established that the historical interiors chronologically follow the changing generations of the Royal Family. The Danish Royal Collections was founded in 1833, and Rosenborg was opened to the public in 1838. A tour of the palace thus became a journey through Danish history from the time of Christian IV to the present moment, since there at the opening was a room furnished for Frederik VI, who lived until the following year. In 1868 a room was furnished for Frederik VII, who had died five years previously, and Christian IX was also given a room at Rosenborg in 1910. The limited space at Rosenborg was now utilised to the full, and if later kings were to be added, it would have to be somewhere else. At first Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg presented itself as a possibility. The palace had been left as good as untouched since the death of Christian IX in 1906, and in the 1950s Christian IX’s study and Queen Louise’s salon were preserved on the initiative of Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid. Furthermore, it was ensured that Christian X’s study in Christian VIII’s Palace, which was packed away following Queen Alexandrine’s death in 1952, was preserved. In 1956 Frederik IX created by royal resolution the juridical basis for the establishment of The Royal Danish Collections at Amalienborg. Thus in 1977 a museum for the House of Glücksburg opened in part of the ground floor of Christian IX’s Palace, but it already closed again in 1982, as running a museum in the Royal Couple’s palace of residence proved in practice to be inexpedient. After an extensive restoration of Christian VIII’s Palace the opportunity arose to re-establish the museum on the ground floor of this palace, which more than doubled the previous exhibition space. In 1994 the museum was reopened here, and remained true to the original idea: to exhibit a series of historical interiors which trace the royal generations. At the opening the museum included Christian IX’s study, Queen Louise’s salon, Christian X’s study, as well as Christian X and Queen Alexandrine’s dining room. The large exhibition space also afforded the opportunity to reconstruct Frederik VIII’s study, and more rooms were made available to the museum, which are today known as The Garden Room, The Costume Gallery, and The Golden Cage. In the 1990s the museum was entrusted with Frederik IX’s study as it had looked on the king’s death in 1972. The room was opened to the public on the occasion of the King’s 100th birthday on 11 March 1999. Since its opening the museum has arranged guided tours on the palace’s piano nobile, where you can see Nicolai Abildgaard’s magnificent neoclassical interiors, which he created at the request of Hereditary Prince Frederik after the royal assumption of Amalienborg in 1794. Since July 2013 the piano nobile has been open to the museum’s visitors every Saturday.

1850-1875

The social and political revolts in Europe in 1848 had ushered in new times for European states, and for Denmark too. But even though the absolute monarchy was abolished with the Constitution of 1849, the monarchy was far from disengaged from power.

1875-1900

The period was a peaceful one for Denmark. The spread of electricity and the invention of the telephone characterised the era, and industrialisation made many new things available, while the road network and the railways created new transport possibilities.

Women's Order

The Order of St Catharine was a Russian ladies' order, which was instituted in 1714 in honour of Catherine I of Russia. Both Queen Louise and Queen Alexandrine received this order.

Champagne Cooler

Present from the Russian Imperial Couple Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna on the occasion of Christian IX and Queen Louise’s golden wedding anniversary in 1892. The silver gilt champagne cooler unites the Russian and the Danish, since it is shaped like a kovsh (a traditional Russian drinking bowl/ladle) while the elephant with an enamel tower and caparison indicates The Order of the Elephant. Decorated at the front with cast coats of arms of Denmark and Hesse, and on the side “C IX L” as well as “26 May 1842/1892” with rich decoration in the Rococo style. It is one of Faberge’s largest and most spectacular items of silverware.

Bonbonnière

Bonbonnière (container for bonbons) of golden quartz in the shape of a slice of lemon. Mounted in gold with small rose-cut diamonds. A beautiful example of Faberge’s so-called objets de fantaisie, which play with the viewer’s perception. The workmanship is so accomplished that it almost makes the hard stone seem juicy.

Gold bracelet

Gold bracelet with oval photographs of Grand Duke Alexander (III) and Princess Dagmar, made by Samuel Arndt in St. Petersburg in 1866. The portraits have oval lids with locks, with the letters D and A written with diamonds. A small imperial crown and a flower are placed between the photographs, which are flanked by stars formed of diamonds and rubies. Present to Princess Thyra from the heirs to the throne on the occasion of their wedding, 9 November 1866.

Triangular picture frame

Triangular picture frame with a round photo of Queen Louise. The frame is covered with a peach coloured, translucent enamel on a guilloché base with flowing lines that radiate from the centre. Present from Maria Feodorovna to Christian IX.