The Danish business community marked the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II's 50th birthday in 1990 by ordering a gift of 11 tapestries from Le Mobilier National et les Manufactures Nationales de Gobelins et de Beauvais, Paris (commonly referred to as les Gobelins). The project was funded by a range of Danish companies and foundations as well as the French state.
The History of Denmark and the World
Bjørn Nørgaard painted the full-size sketches (known as cartoons) upon which the tapestries were woven. The gobelin series depicts the history of Denmark and the world, including the Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Absolute Monarchy, the Reformation, World War II, the Present and even the Future. The Danish royal family, as well as images symbolizing the artist Bjørn Nørgaards earlier works of art, are skilfully woven into the greater context of the tapestries.
A Long Process
It takes a very long time to make tapestries, and it was not until 2000, on the occasion of the Queen's 60th birthday, that the tapestries were finally hung in their right place: the Great Hall in Christiansborg Palace. The Great Hall was restored for this purpose.
During the official inauguration on 12 April 2000, the Queen expressed the desire that the 17 tapestries should belong to the whole Danish nation and donated them to the state.
The Great Hall with the tapestries is one of the Royal Reception Rooms, which is open to the public when not in use by HM the Queen. See the opening hours of the Royal Reception Rooms here.
Last updated:: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
