Copenhagen

T H E SURROUNDINGS OE COPENHAGEN.

FREDERIKS­ BORG CASTLE

the architectural painter, fell the h o nou r of carrying out this work. Once more the slender spires and red walls of F rederiks­ b o rg Castle were reflected in the waters of the castle lake, bu t as yet it was only an empty shell. O ne of Denm ark's greatest a rt-p a tro n s , the late J. C. Jacobsen, the brewer, came to the rescue. O n condition that the castle should be used as a National Historical Museum , he gave one donation after another, am oun ting in all to abou t 600,000 K roner (about £ 33,330) tow ards the furnishing and decorating of the interior. The chapel and the two large halls — the Knights’ Hall and "Rosen" (the Rose) — were success­ fully re-p rodu ced as they existed in the time of Christian IV. The so-called "O ratory" of the chapel is now ado rn ed w ith 23 exceedingly fine sacred pictures by the celebrated Danish artist, Carl Bloch; and the old organ is prized by conno is­ seurs as a perfect w ork of art. The new peal of bells which rin g out over the silent w ood s replacing those which were m elted by the flames, were the gift of J. C. Jacobsen. It was the same munificent dono r who presented the successful re ­ p roduction s of the two fountains, N ep tun e ’s well in the inner courtyard, and The L ion’s well in the outer. The various apartm ents and halls of the castle now accom ­ m odate the collection of the National Historical M useum ; bu t such a museum is not form ed in a day, and least of all in a country like Denmark, whose m ost im po rtan t historical m e­ morials are already collected at R osenbo rg Castle (see pg. 68).

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