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HISTORY OF ROSENBORG CASTLE
anywhere else — except perhaps in the Caracci Room in the
Palazzo Farnese in Rome, but I do not know that Christian
the Fourth can have heard of it. Above both the long side
walls (circa 44 m in length) he had large genre paintings or
allegories placed close together, leaning forwards, fourteen (?)
on each side. Half of these are still in existence (some at
Frederiksborg, others at Kronborg); but the ceiling was re
bu ilt (1705—1707) under Frederik the Fourth w ith white
stucco and a few central paintings in order that it might go
better — according to the taste of that time — w ith the
tapestries that Christian the F ifth had hung on the walls
(1698). Not even in this form has the hall been preserved
t ill the present day, as the tapestries were a few years ago
taken down on account of repairs and never again hung.
But what a remarkable effect that collection of paintings on
the ceiling must have had upon Christian the Fourth’s con
temporaries! The Prince of Anha lt, who visited Denmark
on his travels (1623) describes it (1).
When the last pictures were finished
(1624),
the king
named the castle ROSENBORG, which, poetically paraphra
sed, means „The House in the Garden“.
Ten years later (1633— 1634) — doubtless on the occasion
of the great marriage festivities (1634) — the king commanded
his gifted young architect Hans von S te n w in k e ll the
younger to build the o c ta g o n a l s t a i r - t o w e r a t th e eas t
(1) See the original German text, reproduced on p. 57.