The Royal Danish CollectionRosenborgCastle historyInterior and objectsC Ivory and amberNorwegian Lion – Ivory Ship

Norwegian Lion – Ivory Ship

Ivory model of the frigate ‘Norwegian Lion’. The ship is made of ivory, the canons and rigging of silver. The model was carved in 1654 by Jacob Jensen Nordmand.

During the reign of Frederik II Denmark had one of Europe’s very best naval forces, but in spite of Christian IV’s expansion of it, the Danish Navy was weakened in step with the declining political importance of Denmark after the Thirty Years’ War and later defeats.

In spite of this the navy supported the Danish claim to levy the Sound Dues for a period of around 400 years, as one of the reasons given was that the Danish navy kept the entire Baltic Sea free of pirates. Although this was to some extent true early in the period, the argument became more and more theoretical.

Relations

Man-of-war

Man-of-war made, after 1807, by Danish prisoners of war in England, from the bones left on their plates. Acquired by Frederik VI in 1810.

Carriage; carved in ivory

Carriage with a lady-in-waiting. Carved in ivory by Diderich de Thurah, 1749.

Jacob Jensen Nordmand

The ivory turner Jacob Jensen was born in Norway and became a sailor in the Danish navy. He was then apprenticed as a blacksmith in the Low Countries and, from 1624 to 1639, he was a soldier for the Low Countries in Brazil.

1650-1675

The wars of Charles Gustavus (1657-1658 and 1658-1660) were the important events in foreign politics of the period. The loss of Scania, Halland and Blekinge at the Peace of Roskilde in 1658 was a nadir of power politics in Danish history.

Frederik III

Frederik III was the King of Denmark-Norway from 1648; he was married to Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1643 and father to Christian V.