Royal Objets d'art from His Excellency Ingolf Count of Rosenborg up for Auction

You now have the opportunity to bring home a piece of Danish history when items owned by up to five generations of Danish kings and queens go under the hammer. His Excellency Ingolf Count of Rosenborg, who acquired Egeland Estate in 1967, has chosen to put a number of royal objets d’art up for auction due to his move from the estate. Several of them have previously stood in The Yellow Palace, Frederik VIII’s Palace and Christian VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg, Sorgenfri Palace and the summer residence Klitgaarden near Skagen in Denmark.

Most of the objets d'art up for auction have been owned by the Danish Royal family and have been passed on through as many as five generations. They are from His Excellency Ingolf Count of Rosenborg’s great-great-grandparents, King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark, the great-grandparents, King Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa of Denmark, and the grandparents, King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark. The objets d'art were then inherited by the Count’s parents, Hereditary Prince Knud and Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, and most recently by the Count himself.

“The objets d’art that the Count has chosen to put up for auction are highly varied. They include, for example, copperware from the kitchen at Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg, which tells us about the gourmand that Frederik VIII was. There are also armchairs from Christian X’s living room, which bear witness to the King’s taste in interior design. And silver cutlery from Queen Alexandrine’s parents, which were used to set the table at Sorgenfri Palace and could show a thing or two about her childhood and youth,” tells Martin Hans Borg.

“Frederik VIII was well educated and prepared thoroughly for his kingship. Through his marriage to the wealthy, Swedish-born Crown Princess Lovisa, he lived a financially carefree existence as crown prince, among other places in Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg, which the couple renovated according to the most modern principles of historicism,” says Martin Hans Borg.

“He was, in addition, a good-natured father with an interest in art, literature and science, and was very charitable and had a strong social commitment. He travelled often – preferably incognito – and it was he who actually coined the title ‘Count of Rosenborg’, which he used when he did not want to travel officially as crown prince,” says Martin Hans Borg

“After World War I, King Christian X of Denmark became the popular symbol of Denmark’s reunification with Southern Jutland. His popularity grew even more during the German occupation, when he became a national symbol among the Danish people,” says Martin Hans Borg, who continues:

“He was married to Queen Alexandrine, who was born Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The Queen had a good sense of humour, a sharp intelligence and spoke several languages. As a constitutional queen, she remained neutral in relation to the Women’s Suffrage Act signed by her husband in 1915, but she undoubtedly agreed. Queen Alexandrine was an accomplished player of the grand piano and artistic with her needlework, but she also went a bit against the grain in a male-dominated world. She was, for example, a keen photographer, played golf, and practised sailing and rowing. And, not least, she liked to play billiards,” explains Martin Hans Borg.