The Royal Danish CollectionRosenborgCaroline Amalie

Caroline Amalie

Caroline Amalie became Queen of Denmark in 1839. She was the daughter of Duke Friedrich Christian of Augustenborg and Princess Louise Augusta. In 1815 she married Prince Christian Frederik, later King Christian VIII.

Caroline Amalie was highly engaged in different social and humanitarian issues and, among other things, she was behind the establishment of several orphanages. Because of her Augustenborg background, she was viewed with a certain distrust by many Danes during the national conflicts in Schleswig-Holstein. However, later in her life she gained much popularity. Caroline Amalie was interested in religious issues and became an important supporter of the Grundtvigian movement.

Caroline Amalie’s and Christian VIII’s marriage was a happy one, but the couple did not have any children. The succesor to the Throne, Frederik, was from Christian’s first marriage to Charlotte Frederikke.

 

Relations

Bust of N.F.S. Grundtvig

A number of busts of Danish cultural personalities whom Queen Caroline Amalie admired are on display in The Gothic Library.

Caroline Amalie, 1830

Queen Caroline Amalie. Signed: L. Aumont, 1830.

The Gothic Library

The Gothic Library was furnished for Queen Dowager Caroline Amalie in the middle of the 1800's, shortly after having lost her husband, Christian VIII. 

Coronation robe

Caroline Amalie’s coronation robe; a gold embroidered bodice made of white satin with golden laces at the neck and on the sleeves. The skirt is also made of gold embroidered satin.

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.

Mantelpiece clock

Mantelpiece clock with bronze statuette of Christian VIII. Made by A. & W. Jacobsen.

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.