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h e r dressing room. The k ing also suppo rted an Italian opera
till 1778, and besides the C o u rt Th eatre was used as an affi-
liated stage of the D a n ish N a tio n a l Theatre, which h a d been
opened in 1748 in the Kongens N y to rv (K ing’s N ew M a rk e t),
h av ing originally been founde d in 1722 by René de Montaigu,
the F ren ch actor, a n d Ludvig Holberg, the dramatist, both
of them, from an artistic point af view, pupils of Moliére. A
copy af M o n ta ig u ’s petition for establishing a theatre in the
D a n ish langu age is fo u n d in the Ho lb erg section of the M u
seum. It constitutes the origin of all dramatic art in Scandi-
navia. A few Street play-bills from the period of abou t 1722
tell us how modest was the commencement. The h a n d of Lud
vig H o lb e rg is also found on a pay-order issued to some of the
first actors. These are the only lines still extant concerning the
T h e a tre from the h a n d of the master.
M a n y artists of the great nations af Europe have performed
on the C o u rt Theatre. In 1801, the Englishman James Price
a nd the Italian Joseph Casorti introduced their pantomimes,
which g radu ally were nationalized by their successors. In 1814
G o rb in g Franck, the G e rm a n director gave performances with
a big troupe, and, in 1843, his F rench colleague H eb ert with
a no smaller one. Th e year before, the C o u rt Theatre h ad been
rebuilt by o rder of the king, Christian V III (1786-1848), espe-
cially for the use of Italian opera singers, who were patronized
by the C o u rt and the Society of the Capital, and whose p rima
d o nn a Signora Forconi, was appointed Royal D an ish Private
Singer to the King. H e r po rtrait is found in the Museum.
J e n n y L ind a n d Angelica Catalan i also, the world-renowned
Swedish and Italian lady singers, have sung in these rooms,
a n d the celebrated Signora Ristori, Italian tragédienne, gave
a series of performances in 1880. O f these artists the Museum
also possesses portraits. The C o u rt Theatre, however, has been
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