KøbenhanskeMotiver_1587-1807

5 CO PENH AG EN SEEN FROM CH R IST IAN SH AVN 1642 The model (from 1642) for this engravin g is a copy of van W ick's v iew (cat. no. 3) w ith the addition of the Stock Exchange, the construction o f w h ich on a dam w as begun in 16 19 . From here there is a bridge out into the harbour - it should actu ally have been Knippelsbro bridge connecting Copenhagen to Christianshavn. The picture is dated in more than one respect, for example St. N icolai still has the spire w h ich w as blow n down in 1628, and likew ise the chancel from 1630 is not depicted. F inally Rundetårn (the round tow er), completed 1642, is left out. Beneath the scroll w ith the title and date of the engravin g the fo llow in g is to be read: "W h en the Stock Exchange had been built - but n ot the bridge to Chri­ stian shavn ". A s w e have seen, the latter w as not true. A s mentioned under the preceding cat. no., there has been a n ow unkn ow n v iew copied 1642 after van Wick, in w hich the on ly difference w as the addition o f the Stock Exchange. Huusm an w as on ly one am ong m any who used this. W hat these copies have in common is the propor­ tioning. The v iew in cat. no. 6 differs from the others in that it openly acknow ledges the influence o f van Wick; this can be seen not o n ly from the elongated format, but also in a great number of details and the whole compo­ sition w h ich is in precise accordance w ith van W ick. But compared to Huusm an and other copies this one seems to have been done b y a more skilled hand. The most out­ standing spires have been provided w ith names in German - on the roof of the Stock Exchange w e read "D ie Nieuwe Beurse". The rendering of its ornam ented eastern gable from 1640 is not quite accurate in the details. In the har­ bour there are D anish, Dutch, and French ships. 6 CO PENH AG EN SEEN FROM CHR IST IAN SHAVN 1642

the construction of the n ew Ø stervold (1606) this island w as divided into the R oyal kitchen garden on the left and the n avel dockyard on the right w ith Frederik II's long ropew alk on land, ending in the p artially preserved sail loft. A b o ve the city there are h overin g genii carrying the crowned monogram s o f the K in g and his w ife, Queen A n n a Catherine. A t the bottom , the city arms w ith lions as supporters. The engravin g is n ow kn ow n in three copies on ly, and throughout the 17 th century it has served as a model for innum erable copies in different sizes. Reproduced p. 17. The ornam ental figures in front m ove across the picture plane towards the left. A t the centre, how ever, a pool of calm surrounds the painter and his tw o boys holdin g the piece of paper or canvas on w h ich he is m arking the motif. The curved gable to the right of this group is the back o f a house on Christianshavn. This part o f town, named after its founder, w as built during the years after 16 1 7 , and the first houses to be erected were precisely those in Strandgade. O u t in the w ater people are fillin g up part of the basin in order to provide a harbour for the houseow ­ ners o f Christianshavn. O n the left the first version of Knippelsbro bridge, constructed 1618-20 , connecting the old city to Christianshavn. In line w ith the bridge w e see the Stock Exchange begun in 16 19 - the steeple put up in 1625. The large buildin g to the left on the Copenhagen side is Christian IV 's brew -house (1618-20). W hen we date this v iew back to about 16 2 7 it is due to the fact that in spite of the portraits of Frederik III (crowned 1648) and Queen Sophie Am alie w e have an example o f tempus ante quern: the pyram idal spire of St. N icolai Church w h ich fell down in a storm the n igh t betw een January 28th and 29th, 1628. 4 CO PENH AG EN SEEN FROM CH R IST IAN SH A V N c. 16 2 7

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