Christen Købke
The Ridge of Frederiksborg Castle with a View of the Lake, Town, and Forest, c. 1834
Oil on canvas

Christen Købke executed a number of artworks with Frederiksborg Castle as subject matter during the 1830s. A particularly striking example is this small painting, whose motif and geographical location may seem difficult to determine at first glance. However, a closer inspection of the architectural details in the foreground, the brick chimney and the copper-clad spire leaves no doubt that this is indeed Frederiksborg Castle. At the time, the castle was frequently depicted by artists seeking to shore up and promote the Danish growing sense of national identity.

Købke has depicted a view over one ridge of the roof of Frederiksborg Castle with a view towards the lake, town and forest beyond. As in 20/1969, he has explored his subject from a highly unusual vantage point. Købke must be applauded for his choice of point of view, cropping and emphasis on a composition that runs parallel to the picture plane. His focus on the brick chimney in the middle of the picture’s foreground is particularly striking.¹

The Ridge of Frederiksborg Castle with a View of the Lake, Town, and Forest was executed at the same time as 20/1969, and Købke also repeated this motif as part of the decoration of his parents’ house on Blegdammen in Copenhagen.² Over time, many have speculated whether Købke created his small paintings as detailed studies in preparation for the larger versions. However, several scholars have, by various routes, concluded that in all likelihood Købke painted the smaller pictures without any thought whatsoever of later rescaling them, and that the repetitions were probably prompted by his father’s desire to see precisely these scenes used on the walls of his private dining room.³