Christian IV’s Bedroom (room 4)
This bedchamber was one of Christian IV's private living quarters, and it was also here that he died on February 28, 1648.
Christian IV's private life
Christian IV's death
In this room, Christian IV died on February 28, 1648. Normally, Christian IV was not at Rosenborg during the winter months, but around February 21, 1648, it became clear that he was dying. He ordered to be transported by sled from Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød to Rosenborg in Copenhagen. The only reason for this rather long and very cold journey was that Christian IV wished to end his days here at his favorite little castle.
On February 27, the King reaffirmed his Christian faith, received the blessing, and took the Holy Communion for the last time. At five o'clock the next afternoon, on February 28, he passed away peacefully right here in this room. His daughter Leonora Christina and her husband Corfitz Ulfeldt were with him during his final moments. Above Christian IV's bed hung a canopy attached to a hook in the ceiling, and you can still see that hook today.
During and after Christian IV
The bedchamber, like the Winter Room and the Writing Room, was Christian IV's personal living quarters. Quite extraordinary for the time, Christian IV had direct access to both a toilet and a bathroom from this bedchamber.
The objects you see in this room today all belonged to Christian IV. The wall panels and doors also date back to his time. Originally, the panels and doors had floral-painted frames.
In the 1660s, Frederik III and Sophie Amalie, who were very fashion-conscious, had the woodwork decorated in the "Chinese" style, as was fashionable at the time when they lived in the castle. The panel fields are in green lacquer with gold line drawings. The motifs (landscapes, boats, and interiors) are based on contemporary descriptions of China and older Chinese novels.
Objects in the room
If you are physically at the museum, you can admire the outstanding objects and read more about them below.
Please note that these descriptions are brief and often without images. They serve as an additional resource for those who wish to gain more knowledge about each object, such as who created them, their origin, and significance.
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300Ebony mirror with rich silver ornaments, the Queen’s monogram, and the medallions of King Christian IV and his Queen, made by Nicolaus Svabe.
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301Table inlaid with silver and mother of pearl. Love scenes and allegorical representations engraved on silver plates (from H. Goltzius and D. Vinckboons). The silver plates engraved by Simon de Pas, c. 1624?
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302Christian IV. Half length, by Karel van Mander.
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303
* Christian IV's blood stained clothes from the naval battle of Kolberger Heide, 1st July 1644: a black and purple jerkin of silk velvet with a blood stained lace collar and cuff. Right shoulder pierced by bullet. * Cap of coloured silk with Tønder lace. Lining marked C 4 and 1642. Pierced by shot. * The King's blood stained handkerchief, embroidered with C 4 1644. Embroidered cap of pale green satin; a piece of green taffeta has been fastened to it serving as a patch for the King's blinded eye. * Shirt with lace border; embroidered with C 4 1644. * Rapier with silver-plated iron hilt. On the pommel: VHZSH (Ulrich, Duke of [Herzog zu] Schleswig Holstein, Christian IV’s youngest son). On the blade: Juan Martinez En Toledo Espadero del Rei. The Netherlands c. 1620-1630. * Pillow case with Tønder lace, blood-stained embroidered with C4. * A pair of eardrops in the form of enamelled white hands, which hold a piece of bronze and a piece of iron; fragments of a burst Danish cannon and a Swedish ball which were removed from the King's forehead and eye after the naval battle of Kolberger Heide. Worn by Vibeke Kruse.
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304Christian IV on his death bed. Painted by Bernt Hilwaerts, 1648.
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305Chest with iron mountings bearing the intertwined names of Christian IV and Queen Anne Cathrine and the date 1599.
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307Chinese porcelain figures; placed in this room in the time of Queen Charlotte Amalie.
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308Prince Christian, the Prince Elect. Painted on wood by Karel van Mander 1642.
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309The Prince Elect's consort, Magdalena Sibylla, born Princess of Electoral Saxony. Painted on wood by Karel van Mander, 1642.
