When I was in Copenhagen a month ago, the main purpose was to visit art exhibitions and museums. In the city of Copenhagen we went to Cisternene and outside Copenhagen, we went to Køge and Vordingborg. Both are only a short train ride from Copenhagen.
At Vordingborg Castle ruins and the Danish Castle Centre two new exhibition openend on 15th of June 2022 - «Queens of Power» and «Blood and diamonds» - both a collaboration between designer Jim Lyngvild and the museum. Both these exhibitions are telling stories of power and all the tragic that comes with it. «Queens of power" is a photo exhibition that tells the story of strong queens who have had great impact and significance in the Danish history. When we read history books about kings and queens, we usually learn more about the kings. The queens do not have much space in the these books. Thats one of the reasons Lyngvild chooses to focus on the queens. The second exhibition is a re-creation of the jewelry that once belonged to the Tsar family in Russia. The jewelry testifies to the wealth and extravagance that eventually led to the Russian revolution(1917) and the execution of the Tsar family. When I took photos of Lyngvilds photos of the queens, I had to take very close up shots because of the light. Otherwise you would't be able to see the faces and details.
The castle is beautifully located by the sea in Vordingborg on the island of Zealand. King Valdemar the Great was the founder of the castle that was built in the year 1160. At that time it had 9 towers and a 770 meter long wall with a moat. There isn't much left, but we can still see the remains of the wall that once surrounded the castle and one of the towers is still here - The Goose Tower. The name derives from the fact that there is a gilded goose placed on the top of the spire. During the years there were extensive constructions that lasted untill the 1360s. That was when the Goose Tower was constructed- one the best preserved medieval tower in Scandinavia.
Vordingborg Castle has been a place that has vitnessed significant events we can read about in Danish history books. Once it was the seat of powerful kings who made the castle their home. To me it seems as the perfect place for an exhibition that tells the story of some of these kings and queens.
The first board we met at the entrance is an information board about three of these kings: Valdemar the Great, (king from 1154-1182) Valdemar the Victorious (king 1202-1241) and Valdemar Atterdag (king1340-1375) The exhibition inside the Danish Castle Center shows an overview of kings and queens who have had their affiliation with the castle. The skulls of the three kings ( the three Valdemars, I quess ) were greeting us at the entrance!
Sofia of Minsk (1140-1198)
Berengaria of Portugal (1198-1221)
For this exhibition, Jim Lyngvild has chosen to create new portraits of the queens of power. They have all played an important role at the castle. Knowledge of the castle and the queens has been taken from the museum's archaeological and historical knowledge, Saxo's descriptions and other images from the Middle Ages. Each photo has a board with information about each one of them.
Magrete Sambaria (1230-1283)
Jim Lyngvild (born 1978) who is the man behind the creation and the photos, is a Danish designer and photographer who also has become a television personality in Denmark. He has had many exhibitions, all with amazing photos. The way he uses living models, makes them much more real and you get a feeling that they are alive. The details in clothing, jewlery is so accomplished. He mixes reallity with fantasy when he has no paintings or drawing that can tell how these people were dressed. The first time I saw one of his photo exhibition was last year at Kronborg Castle. I really admire his skills when it comes to photography. When possible, I go to his exhibitions.
Dagmar (1186-1212)
Agnes of Brandenburg (1215-1304)
Margrete I (1353-1412)
I didn't know much about these queens, except for Margrete I. She was a powerfull ruler from late 1380s until her death in 1412 (age 59). Under her rule Denmark, Norway and Sweeden were united. She is said to have been wise, strong and a very capable leader who had many nicknames. One of them was "Lady King". Maybe that was because she was recognized as beeing just as capable as a man.
Philippa of England (1394-1430)
But all these queens did have power. They made important decisions and were deputies to the kings when they were busy elsewhere. They had more influence than one would have imagined.
Now we enter the exhibition about the Russian Crown Jewels. I bought Lyngvilds book with photos , in which he is telling about the process from the start to the end. Before he startet on the project of re-creating the jewelry that once belonged to the Tsar family in Russia, he did have many thoughts about doing this. It had to do with the quality of the jewels, but it also had a moral aspect, because the jewels once was the subject of blood and many tragic accidents.
In the glass showcases he has exhibited the jewelery together with pictures from the Russian revolution. After the Tsar family was assassinated, the Communists sold the jewelry. That is why they ended up in different parts of the world. In a podcast I heard before the exhibition, Lyngvild tells how he was around to many flea markets to find most of the old objects on display. Although the jewelry are reconstructions, they look very real. Lyngvild has recreated the jewelery from old photos. He didn't do all this work himself. He had craftsmen in India who did the phycial jobb.
Something I did not know before my visit, was that there have been strong ties between Russian rulers and the Danes. Valdemar the Great and Valdemar Atterdag both came from Russian families. Queen Dagmar was the mother of the last Tsar of Russia - Nikolai 2. What Lyngvild may also want to question with this part of the exhibition is possibly that power has a limit.
A very different exhibition from the one in Copenhagen, but just as engaging and it provided inspiration for reflection about power and wealth.
Sources:
Informations board at the exhibition:
https://www.museerne.dk/danmarks-borgcenter/udstillingerne/magtens-dronninger/
The exhibition in Copenhagen:
Denmark - Delicate magic under the surface of Copenhagen
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