Princess Elisabeth's Collection of Antiques

Royal heirlooms, landscape paintings and fine porcelain figures – at the online auction on 13 December, we focus on the Danish Princess Elisabeth with a large collection of art and antiques from her private home.

Julius Petersen: “Rita” in Aarhus Bay. Signed Julius Petersen. Oil on canvas. 32×39 cm. Frame with views from Marselisborg Palace. Estimate: DKK 8,000. 

A pair of giltwood armchairs. Marked with the monogram of the later King Frederik VIII of Denmark (1843–1912) and Amalienborg inventory number. C. 1870. (2). Estimate: DKK 8,000.

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Following the sale of Queen Alexandrine's Russian sapphire tiara for DKK 2 million at the recent anniversary auction, we are now ready with another royal sale. This time the person in question is Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (1935-2018), who was baptized with the rather lengthy name of Elisabeth Caroline-Mathilde Alexandrine Helena Olga Thyra Feodora Estrid Margarethe Désirée. She was the daughter of Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde and Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark and thereby King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine's first grandchild. Princess Elisabeth spent her childhood in the "Ladies’ Wing" of Sorgenfri Castle near Lyngby, but she was also a frequent guest in her grandparents' home at Amalienborg.

Hard Work and a Sense of Humour

Princess Elisabeth did not let her privileged background go to her head. When she left primary school in 1952, she spent a year at a boarding school in France, after which she studied fashion and design at the Margrethe-Skolen (Scandinavian Academy of International Fashion & Design) in Copenhagen. As an adult, she worked for 45 years as a foreign affairs officer at Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was stationed in places such as Washington D.C. and Geneva. In her spare time, she was a diligent seamstress who made her own dresses. When people asked her where she had bought the clothes, she would teasingly answer "At Désirée in Gl. Holte" – using one of her many middle names as a cover. Privately, Princess Elisabeth remained unmarried, but she lived together with the Danish film director Claus Hermansen for more than 20 years.

Royal Objets d’Art

It is Princess Elisabeth's heirs, Josephine, Camilla and Feodora of Rosenborg, who have chosen to place around 270 objets d’art and antiques from her private home at our online auction Thursday 13 December. The preview will be open at Sundkrogsgade 30 in Copenhagen's Nordhavn until the auction day. View opening hours here.

View all the lots from the collection of Princess Elisabeth
Read more about Princess Elisabeth

 

For further information, please contact:

Martin Hans Borg: +45 8818 1128  · mhb@bruun-rasmussen.dk