RKD STUDIES

We have already spoken a little about collectors of Dutch art when we reported on artists in the service of Christian IV. Like Pieter Isaacsz and Simon de Passe, they were often both painter and dealer. In 1650 more than 550 paintings were counted in Frederiksborg castle. And how many more must have been offered to the King over the years? When a Danish envoy, Dr. Jonas Charisius (1571-1619) [1], visited the Netherlands in 1607 and 1608, he purchased an impressive number of 141 paintings for his king. A few years later the enterprising and resourceful ‘Sir’ Theodorus Rodenburgh (c.1577-1644) [2] brought with him all of ‘350 pieces worth about 20,000 rix-dollars’ (350 stucken omtrent de waarde van twintich duysent rijckxdaelders), which he offered to the king, after which he asked to be allowed to display the pictures in the uninhabited Ibstrup Castle. From 1621, moreover, Rodenburgh had power of attorney to recruit Netherlandish artists, craftsmen, merchants and entrepreneurs for Denmark, but the king appears not to have heeded his proposal to introduce Jodocus de Momper, Salomon de Bray and a certain Govert Jansz Poelenburg to his service.¹

1
Hendrik Hondius (I)
Portrait of Jonas Charisius (1571-1619), 1608
Amsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet, inv./cat.nr. RP-P-1906-1264

One must not forget that the cultural ties between the Scandinavian countries and the Dutch Republic were very close, that many Scandinavian students attended the University of Leiden, and that the numerous agents representing Christian IV and his successors in the Netherlands, promoted cultural exchange. In addition, Danes who visited the Netherlands seized the opportunity to have themselves portrayed by Dutch painters. The extensive portrait collection in Frederiksborg offers many examples. The short-lived Prince Elect Christian collected Flemish pictures and engravings by Rembrandt [3],² and Christian V, who took over the art cabinet founded by Frederick III, already owned a very impressive collection of Dutch pictures by mannerists such as Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem [4] and by Rembrandt students such as Leonaert Bramer [5],³ Gerard Dou [6] and Ferdinand Bol (a portrait of Michiel de Ruyter that was sent to him in 1669) [7], in addition to other works by Gerard Houckgeest [8], Pieter Wouwerman [9] and sundry Dutch artists active in Denmark.

6
Gerard Dou
Young woman in a kitchen, with a boy holding a mouse trap, c. 1650-1660
Copenhagen, SMK - National Gallery of Denmark, inv./cat.nr. KMS1966

The royal collection took a great leap forward under the direction of Gerhard Morell (c. 1710-1771),⁴ who undertook journeys to the Dutch Republic in 1759 and 1763, buying more than 170 paintings, including the beautiful Rembrandt Christ at Emmaus [10]⁵ and pictures by Paulus Potter, Jacob van Ruisdael [11] and Allaert van Everdingen [12].⁶ The pictures were kept in Christianborg Castle, where one could view them on request.

The holdings were enlarged at the beginning of the 19th century with additional Dutch pictures through the acquisition of the collection of the Johan Christian Bodendick (1735-1818) [13] and that of the Consul Hans West (1758-1811). In 1809 the Gallery was opened to the public. Around the same time, that is, in the second half of the 18th century, originated the collections of the counts Moltke [14],⁷ which have since been dissolved, and the Thott and Gaunø collection, which was able to compete with the royal collections in terms of quantity, but not quality. During the 18th century, State Minister Count Otto Thott (1703-1785) [15] displayed the most important pictures, around 1,000 works, in his Copenhagen palace.

13
Jens Juel
Portrait of Johan Christian Bodendick (1735-1818), dated 1789
Copenhagen, Medicinsk-historisk Museum, inv./cat.nr. I-000244