The Royal Danish CollectionRosenborgCastle historyInterior and objectsE The Green CabinetDiamond ring

Diamond ring

Ring of enamelled gold with diamonds. The ring, with a phallus and a woman’s hand, was possibly Frederik III’s comment on Queen Sophie Amalie’s affair with a valet, when it was discovered in 1664.

Relations

Sophie Amalie, 1655

Queen Sophie Amalie in peasant costume.

Frederik III, 1663

Enamel portrait of Frederik III. Made by Paul Prieur, 1663. The portrait is a masterpiece, since the enamel’s melting point limits both the number of colours and the size of the miniature.

Sophie Amalie

Sophie Amalie became Queen of Denmark in 1648. She was the daughter of Duke George of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and in 1643 she was married to Frederik (III). Sophie Amalie was the mother of Christian V.

1650-1675

The wars of Charles Gustavus (1657-1658 and 1658-1660) were the important events in foreign politics of the period. The loss of Scania, Halland and Blekinge at the Peace of Roskilde in 1658 was a nadir of power politics in Danish history.

Frederik III

Frederik III was the King of Denmark-Norway from 1648; he was married to Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1643 and father to Christian V.

Alchemical Gold

The round container with an enamel rosette on the lid contains an oval surface of yellow metal. The metal is specified as alchemical gold and is said to have been produced by Frederik III with the help of the Italian Giuseppe Borri. Alchemy presumed that all substances stemmed from earth, water, air and fire, and were simply combined in different ways. Until the 1700s it was therefore thought that other metals could be changed into gold. Members of society’s elite have throughout history attempted the process, and this object bears witness that the king was no exception.