Frederik V on Horseback. Sketch for Equestrian Statue in Amalienborg Palace Square
Jacques François Joseph Saly (French, 1717–1776)
1758
- Medium
- Plaster
- Classification
- Statuette
- Dimensions
- height 92 cm, width 84.5 cm
- Culture
- French
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
For centuries the horse was an essential foundation for the worldly power of kings and princes. Its importance in war and peace - as a weapon and as a means of transport and communication – made it a strong symbol of might and glory. It would take more than 15 years from start to finish before Frederik V had his own splendid equestrian statue in the square of Amalienborg Palace. It shows the king as a keeper of peace and a father to his people rather than as a general. He controls the powerful creature with gentleness. The mount itself is an idealised version of the Danish Frederiksborg horse, which was bred intensively in the 19th century but later became extinct. The artist Saly was already established in France when he went to Denmark in 1753. Smaller studies were used to plan the large, complex task of constructing the statue, which ended up costing half a million Danish thaler. Enough to build ten mansions at Amalienborg Square!
