The equestrian statue on Kongens Nytorv will be familiar to a good many people who matriculated in Copenhagen. Dancing round this statue has been an established ritual for many years among young people who pass the exams qualifying them to continue their studies.
Abraham César Lamoureux’s monument to King Christian V from 1688, erected on the new square, was the first equestrian statue in Scandinavia. Like a Roman general, the monarch rides over a prostrate allegorical figure of a man, who symbolises envy. The raised knee of the figure supports the horse’s abdomen. The four corner figures symbolise Queen Artemisia, Alexander the Great, Pallas Athene and Hercules.
The statue was made of gilded lead, as it was not yet possible to provide such large castings in bronze in Denmark. The malleability of the material meant, however, that despite the supporting knee the horse began to collapse beneath the King, and the monument had to be repaired several times. In 1946 it was considered necessary to replace the lead sculpture with a new one cast in bronze. The sculptor Einar Utzon-Franck was responsible for the demanding task. The lead figure was moved to Christian IV’s brew-house, where it is still to be found.
Last updated:: Thursday, March 04, 2010
