Nicolai Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754), also known as Niels Eigtved , was a Danish architect . He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. He designed and built some of the most prominent buildings of his time, a number of which still stand to this day. He also played an important role in the establishment of the Royal Danish Academy of Art ( Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi ), and was its first native-born leader.
50-656: He was born Niels Madsen on the farm in the village of Egtved in the parish of Haraldsted on the island of Zealand , Denmark to Mads Nielsen and Dorthe Hansdatter. He was trained locally as a gardener, and was promoted to a position at the Frederiksberg Palace Gardens ca. 1720. In July 1723 he got an opportunity to travel out of the country as a royal gardening apprentice. He travelled to Berlin and Dresden , among other places in Germany , earned his keep with jobs as
100-458: A common hypothesis is that the Old Danish form Siâland is based on the word * selha- with the ending * wundia- . The latter means "indicates, resembles". The word * selha- may have two different meanings: "seal" (in modern Danish sæl ) or "deep bay, fjord". Since Roskilde is a major and ancient settlement on Zealand, accessible by sea through the narrow Roskilde Fjord (branched from
150-579: A gardener, and learned to speak German . From 1725 he lived in Warsaw , Poland , where he came to the attention of German architect and draughtsman Colonel Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann , for whom he worked for several years. Pöppelmann was connected to the Saxon - Polish court under Frederick Augustus I , and got him a position as second lieutenant in the Saxon-Polish Engineer Corps. Eigtved came into
200-700: A leading position. In late summer 1748 the Academy moved to the floor above the Crown Prince's stables at Christiansborg Palace, where Eigtved also had his official offices. In 1748 it was 300 years since the Oldenburg family took the throne in Denmark, and in 1749 the 300-year jubilee of the coronation of Christian I of Denmark was commemorated with the establishment of a new district in Copenhagen called Frederiksstad. Heading
250-435: A lifelong rivalry with colleague Lauritz de Thurah , another royal building master and the leading proponent of baroque architecture at the time. Eigtved became the king's preferred architect, and Eigtved's rococo style was the preferred building style. As a result, de Thurah was often overlooked, while Eigtved got the best assignments. He participated along with German architect Elias David Hausser and Lauritz de Thurah in
300-584: A new large lock for the Saxon dynasty (c. 1730). In 1730 Eigtved was promoted to lieutenant in Engineer Corps, and participated in the building of the ruler's military camp near Zeithain . He made excellent military drawings, and became acquainted with Danish statesman General Poul Vendelbo Løvenørn , who after his return to Denmark interested King Christian VI in Eigtved. The King summoned Eigtved to Denmark, and with
350-568: A population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising 40% of the country's population. Zealand is the 13th-largest island in Europe by area and the 4th most populous . It is connected to Sprogø and Funen by the Great Belt Fixed Link and to Amager by several bridges in Copenhagen. Indirectly, through the island of Amager and the Øresund Bridge , it is also linked to Scania in Sweden. In
400-564: A rich architectural environment, which was influenced by the presence of French immigrants including Jean de Bodt and Zacharias Longuelune . Some of Pöppelmann's assignments in those years, on which Eigtved would have probably participated, were Augustus Bridge ( Augustusbruecke ) in Dresden (1728), the extension of the Japanese Palace ( Japanisches Palais ) in Dresden (1727), drafts for the three-king church in Dresden new city (1723–1739), and
450-524: A similarity between Zealand and the Swedish lake Vänern , it is sometimes identified as the hole left by Gefjun. Gefjun is queen of King Skjöldr , eponymous ancestor of the Scyldings , related to the etymological debate. Zealand is the most populous Danish island. It is irregularly shaped, and is north of the islands of Lolland , Falster , and Møn . The small island of Amager lies immediately east. Copenhagen
500-496: A successful career as a merchant and ship owner. In 1685 the first reformed church in Copenhagen opened in his house. Michelbecker died in 1692 and in 1707 his house was taken over by his son-in-law Wilhelm Edinger . In 1716 it was put at the disposal of Tsar Peter the Great during his visit to Copenhagen. In 1725 Edinger sold the house to King Frederick IV who transformed it into a residence for Crown Prince Christian (VI) with
550-569: A warehouse for the company on Christianshavn . The building called Eigtved's Pakhus was built 1748–1750. During this same period of time Eigtved also worked on the expansion of Moltke's estate Bregentved , which had been given to him by the King after his ascension to the throne. He was promoted to colonel in the Engineer Corps in 1749. Eigtved became the Art Academy's first director in 1751. However Eigtved's rococo style, which had been popular for so long,
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#1732845570700600-567: Is divided between two Danish regions: The Copenhagen metropolitan area and North Zealand belong to the Capital Region , while the major and more rural part of the island belongs to the Zealand Region . The origin of the Danish name Sjælland is not exactly known. Sjæl in modern Danish means "soul"; a derivation from siô / sæ (meaning "lake" or "sea") has been assumed. However, today
650-598: Is mostly on Zealand but extends across northern Amager. A number of bridges and the Copenhagen Metro connect Zealand to Amager, which is connected to Scania in Sweden by the Øresund Bridge via the artificial island of Peberholm . Zealand is joined in the west to Funen, by the Great Belt Fixed Link, and Funen is connected by bridges to the country's mainland, Jutland . On 5 June 2007 the regional subsidiary of national broadcaster DR reported that Kobanke in
700-531: The Isefjord ), it has been assumed that the sailors named the island after this. The Swedish name of the island is Själland , a direct translation to the different script used in that language. The English form may be borrowed from the German form Seeland . These forms might be based on the assumption that the first part means sea or lake (German See ), or they could simply be based on an alternative Danish form of
750-647: The Paleocene . Urban areas with 10,000+ inhabitants: Prince%27s Mansion, Copenhagen The Prince's Mansion is a palatial Rococo -style mansion located at Frederiksholms Kanal in central Copenhagen , Denmark . It used to serve as the official residence of the Crown Prince of Denmark but now houses the National Museum of Denmark . The original house was built in 1684 by Gysbert Wigand Michelbecker . Born in Marburg , he had settled in Copenhagen in 1657 and built
800-415: The Academy has had an impoverished existence with weak leadership. Eigtved overtook administrative responsibility for the Academy in 1745 after the departure of Hieronimo Miani as leader from Denmark. The Marble Bridge at Christiansborg was completed in 1744. He was named Church Inspector for Copenhagen, Kronborg , Antborskov, Vordingborg and Tryggevælde district in 1745. In 1746 Frederik V ascended to
850-716: The Crown Prince Frederik V . The building is now the National Museum ( Nationalmuseet ). At the same time, he also designed a mansion for Schulin of the Building Commission in Frederiksdal. Between 1744 and 1745, Eigtved built a small pavilion for Privy Councillor J.S. Schulin on the Furesø Lake called Frederiksdal Pavilion . Credited with being the earlier example of " maison de plaisance " in Denmark, "it jointly had large and small rooms symmetrically ordered around
900-591: The Frederikstaden district Frederiks Hospital , now the Danish Museum of Applied Arts ( Kunstindustrimuseet ). Eigtved also led building work on one of the masterpieces of Frederiksstad — the centrally located Frederik's Church ( Frederikskirke ), now commonly referred to as now known as The Marble Church ( Marmorkirken ). Moltke, who was also director for the Danish Asiatic Company , had Eigtved design
950-563: The Jutlandic, Zealandic and the Scanian laws, there had been no uniformity of laws throughout settlements in Denmark. Ringsted and later Roskilde were the first important political and religious centres on the island, a role later taken over by Copenhagen. Other important religious centres prior to the Reformation were Sorø Abbey at Sorø and Esrom Abbey at Esrum . With its strategic location at
1000-620: The National Museum which opened in the Prince's Mansion in 1892. The Prince's Mansion is one of the earliest Rococo buildings in Copenhagen. It has three wings with a courtyard closed to Frederiksholms Kanal by a single-story gallery with an entrance gate in the middle. The gallery is topped by a balustrade with vases and statues. The statues together with window decorations on the garden side were saved from Krieger's building from 1726. The original symmetry of Eigtved's complex has been changed by
1050-686: The Prince's Mansion was ceded to the Danish State. The building then came to serve as a "home for the National Collections". These included the Museum of Ethnology which opened in 1849, the Royal Cabinet of Coins and Medals and the Museum of Nordic Antiquities. The latter two were headed by the historian Christian Jürgensen Thomsen who also resided in the building from 1851 until his death in 1865. The Museum of Nordic Antiquities eventually developed into
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#17328455707001100-408: The assistance of the architect Johan Cornelius Krieger . After King Christian VI's ascent to the throne, the Prince's Mansion was taken over by Crown Prince Frederick (V) . He completely altered the building from 1743 to 1744 with the assistance of Royal Master Builder Niels Eigtved . In 1757 Lauritz de Thurah , Eigtved's successor as Court Architect, carried out a minor expansion of the complex on
1150-600: The corner of Frederiksholms Kanal and Stormgade. Later in the century the royal family discontinued their use of the property and instead it came into use for other purposes, mostly as a residence for artists, courtiers and other peers with close ties to the court. For a while, the painters Jens Juel and Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard both had their studios in the building. The latter also had his home there from 1779 until 1787, and so did Court Painter Vigilius Eriksen , who lived there from 1774 until 1782. Geographer and explorer Carsten Niebuhr , who had returned to Copenhagen as
1200-408: The districts of the southern Hawkes Bay and the northern Wairarapa . The tribal Danes came from Zealand and Scania and spoke an early form of North Germanic . Historians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearest islands were settled by tribal Jutes . The Jutes migrated to Great Britain eventually, some as mercenaries of Brythonic King Vortigern , and were granted
1250-409: The entrance to the Øresund, especially after the construction of Kronborg Castle and the introduction of Sound Dues , Helsingør would later develop into the most important town and seaport outside Copenhagen. Most of North Zealand was for centuries, starting in the late 16th century, owned by the crown and used mainly as a royal hunting domain. Local manors played a central role in the economy on
1300-495: The fire of 1794. Hausser, who had been the original architect for the project, lost his influence as the younger de Thurah and Eigtved took on larger assignments in the castle project. In 1738 the king set up a royal buildings commission that would lead the continued work on the castle. The commission would be led by State Minister Count Johan Sigismund Schulin (1694–1750). At the same time Eigtved and de Thurah switched areas of responsibilities, where de Thurah gave up Copenhagen and
1350-515: The interior construction of Christiansborg Palace, with wood sculpting by Louis August le Clerc . Eigtved and de Thurah, for the most part, divided up the interior assignments. Eigtved designed the king's apartments, the main staircase, the chapel's interior, the riding grounds, and the Marble Bridge ( Marmorbroen ) and its two pavilions, and gave the castle its delicate Louis XIV style . Most of Eigtved's accomplishments at Christiansborg were lost in
1400-412: The island of Zealand, in exchange for Eigtved's Jutland Peninsula. In 1742 Eigtved was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Engineer Corps, became a member of the Building Commission, and took over the role of leading architect for Christiansborg Palace from Hausser. Eigtved designed and built, along with Boye Junge, The Prince's mansion at Frederiksholm's Canal ( Frederiksholms Kanal ) 1743–1744, for
1450-518: The island were constructed by Det Sjællandske Jernbaneselskab (1847-1888). The first section opened between Copenhagen and Roskilde in 1847. In Norse mythology as told in the Gylfaginning , the island was created by the goddess Gefjun after she tricked Gylfi , the king of Sweden. She removed a piece of land and transported it to Denmark, which became Zealand. The vacant area was filled with water and became Mälaren . However, since modern maps show
1500-434: The later alterations of other architects which has increased the north wing to ten bays while the south wing still only consists of three bays. Mogens Clemmensen and Arne Nystrøm expanded the museum from 1929 to 1938, adding a large new four-winged building on the rear of the original mansion as well as a more narrow connecting wing between the new and old buildings which create a courtyard space open toward Ny Vestergade. On
1550-591: The main axis' vestibule and constervatory. The mansard roof is the result of an alteration carried out by Johann Gottfried Rosenberg in 1752–1753, who while working on Frederiksdal also designed Margård Manor on Funen , also inspired by French country estates." Around this same time he came in contact with the Drawing and Painting Academy ( Tegne – og Malerakademiet ), predecessor to the Royal Danish Academy of Art ( Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi ). Until then
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1600-559: The name, Sælland , which was common until the 19th century. The island nation of New Zealand has no etymological relations to Zealand. New Zealand is named after the Dutch province of Zeeland , which is sometimes referred to as and/or anglicized to Zealand, but is not to be confused with the Danish island. However, there is a historical connection between Denmark and New Zealand based on 19th century immigration of Scandinavians, especially Danes, to New Zealand's North Island, particularly to
1650-402: The newly built Amalienburg Palace near Nymphenburg Eigtved returned to Denmark in 1735 after twelve years' absence. Building construction was at a fever pitch, with construction of Christiansborg Palace having been begun three years earlier. He was named captain in the Engineer Corps, and named royal building master with supervisory responsibility for Jutland and Funen in 1735. Thus began
1700-423: The old Royal Danish Teatre, and in 1753 helped extend Fredensborg Palace by adding four symmetrically positioned corner pavilions with separate copper pyramid-shaped roofs to the main building. On 24 May 1743, he married Sophie Christine Walther (1726–1795), chambermaid to Princess Louise, at Frederickborg Castle Chapel. They had seven children, but only three lived to adulthood. His daughter Anne Margrethe Eigtved
1750-496: The only surviving member of the Danish Arabia Expedition in 1768, lived there from 1773 until 1778 when he accepted a position in the civil service of Danish Holstein . Among the statesmen who lived there were Foreign Minister Adolph Sigfried von der Osten and Ove Høegh-Guldberg who became de facto prime minister after Struense 's fall and lived there until his own fall as a result of the 1784 coup d'état . After
1800-399: The opposite (Stormgade) side, they created a colonnade along the entire length of the complex, from Vester Voldgade to Frederiksholms Kanal. It has 38 columns of granite from the island of Bornholm . The latest alterations of the building took place in 1992 to the design of Gehrdt Bornebusch . He covered the interior courtyard of the connecting wing with a glass roof, transforming it into
1850-458: The plaza, Moltke's Danish Asia Company erected a monumental equestrian statue of Frederick VI designed by Jacques François Joseph Saly . The four palaces surrounding the plaza were identical from the outside, but different on the inside. Moltke's Palace was the most expensive, and had the most extravagant interiors. Its Great Hall ( Riddersalen ) is acknowledged widely as perhaps the finest Danish rococo interior. Eigtved also designed and built in
1900-466: The project was Moltke, and Eigtved was architect. The new Frederiksstaden district was built on the former grounds of Amalien Garden ( Amalienhave ), and became a fine example of European rococo architecture. At the center of the district lay the four palaces at Amalienborg , including the Moltke Palace, today known as Christian VII's Palace, surrounding the octagonal Amalienborg Plaza. In the middle of
1950-485: The rest of the island. Early industrial centres outside Copenhagen included Mølleåen with its watermills, the Kronborg Arms Factory at Hellebæk , Johan Frederik Classen 's Frederick's Works at Frederiksværk and Niels Ryberg's Køng Textile Factory at Vordingborg. Substantial parts of the southernmost part of the island was in the 18th century part of Vordingborg Cavalry District . The first railways on
2000-699: The south, the Storstrøm Bridge and the Farø Bridges connect it to Falster , and beyond that island to Lolland , from where the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel to Germany is planned. Copenhagen , the capital of Denmark, with a population between 1.3 and 1.4 million people in 2020, is located mostly on the eastern shore of Zealand and partly on the island of Amager . Other cities on Zealand include Roskilde , Hillerød , Næstved , Helsingør , Slagelse , Køge , Holbæk and Kalundborg . Administratively, Zealand
2050-553: The south-eastern territories of Kent , the Isle of Wight and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons , who formed the Anglo-Saxons . The remaining Jutish population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling Danes . Valdemar's Zealandic Law was a civil code enacted in the 13th century. Prior to the adoption of
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2100-522: The southeast near the town Rønnede in Faxe Municipality , with a height of 122.9 metres (403 ft), was the highest natural point on Zealand. Gyldenløveshøj , south of the city Roskilde , has a height of 126 metres (413 ft), but that is due to a man-made hill from the 17th century and its highest natural point is only 121.3 metres (398 ft). Zealand gives its name to the Selandian era of
2150-413: The throne, and along with him came the powerful statesman and leader Court Marshal ( Hofmarshal ) Adam Gottlob Moltke , who became Eigtved's proponent in the court. On 28 December 1747 he made a proposal to create a stronger foundation for the Academy, which was approved by the King on 12 February 1748. In this way Eigtved took control of the Academy as its first strong administrator, and the first Dane in
2200-503: The title of captain he was dismissed from foreign service. He was made Danish lieutenant in 1732, and Christian VI let Eigtved further educate himself in Italy between 1732 and 1735 in civil architecture. On his travel back to Denmark, he stayed and made drawings in Vienna and Munich , where he became familiar with the rococo style seen in the design of French architect François de Cuvilliés for
2250-499: The turn of the century, the residents included Royal Master Builder Christian Frederik Hansen who lived there from 1805 until 1834 while working on such projects as the construction of the new Copenhagen City Hall and the rebuilding of the Church of Our Lady and Christiansborg Palace . Gerhard Christoph von Krogh , the military officer who had led the Danish troops in the Battle of Isted ,
2300-533: The work on Frederick's Church, but was denied that role, which went instead to Nicolas-Henri Jardin on 1 April 1756. He stands along with Laurids de Thurah as the leading architect of his time. His death probably saved him from the same type of long, agonizing downfall, as de Thurah had suffered, when his rococo style gave way to the King's newly preferred neoclassicism and his newly preferred architect, Nicolas-Henri Jarden. Eigtved also built Sophienberg in Rungsted,
2350-475: Was a resident from 1817 until 1853. The fire of the first Christiansborg in 1794 did not only leave the royal family but also the Supreme Court of Denmark homeless and it found a new home at the Prince's Mansion. In 1830 it was given a new Assembly Hall at the second Christiansborg Palace but the daily administration remained at the mansion until 1864. After the adoption of the new Constitution in 1849,
2400-518: Was about to suffer with the absolutist King's change of interest. On 30 March 1754, on the King's thirtieth birthday, the Academy moved to Charlottenborg , and became dedicated as the Royal Danish Academy of Art, after inspiration from France's Académie française . Eigtved was snubbed at the Academy of Art's opening ceremony when professor and royal portraitist Carl Gustaf Pilo gave the welcoming speech to King Frederick V, not Eigtved. Eigtved
2450-488: Was married to architect Georg David Anthon (1714–1781). Eigtved died on 7 June 1754 in Copenhagen. He and members of his family were buried at St. Peter's Church, Copenhagen . Zealand (Denmark) Zealand ( Danish : Sjælland [ˈɕeˌlænˀ] ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island , which are larger in size) at 7,031 km . Zealand had
2500-674: Was removed from the Director's position a few days later, and the directorship went to Frenchman sculptor Jacques Saly . Also on the same day that the Academy was moved to Charlottenborg, the Eigtved-designed Moltke Palace was officially dedicated by the king. At his death two of the four Amalienborg Palaces were complete, the two western palaces. The work that he had begun was continued by de Thurah strictly according to Eigtved's plans. The palaces were finally completed in 1760. de Thurah tried unsuccessfully to get project leadership of
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