Chess set
When you can't defeat the Swedes on the battlefield, at least you can mock them on the chessboard
In this chess set from around 1660, which features the Danish and Swedish royal couples, the two sides are not black and white but Denmark and Sweden.
Retaliation for the siege
This chess set, with the chessmen representing Danes and Swedes, was carved in limestone after Frederik III's loss to Charles X Gustav in 1658 in the Dano-Swedish War. In a high-stakes gamble, Frederik III had declared war on Sweden, but Sweden caught Denmark by surprise by marching across the frozen Great Belt during the winter of 1658 and attacking Zealand from the west. On Zealand, the Swedes laid siege to Copenhagen, among other cities, until 1660, when the Swedish king died from disease, and the war gradually drew to an end. Before this conclusion, however, Denmark had lost the now Swedish provinces of Scania, Halland and Blekinge.
The deceitful Swedes
Among the chessmen, Frederik III is recognizable by his Order of the Elephant, while the Swedish king wears an insignia in the form of a star. A man holding his hat in his hand is seeking protection behind Frederik III, while a court jester is stealing Charles X Gustav's sceptre and sword. The Danish queen, Sophie Amalie, wears a crown, while the Swedish queen wears a simple hat, and one of the Swedish pawns (called a 'peasant' in Danish) is holding a bag of money, hiding it behind his back. The purpose of portraying the Danish and Swedish royal couples in this way is clearly to mock the Swedes.
The chess set is normally on display in the Marble Chamber at Rosenborg Castle, but is currently at Koldinghus, where it can be seen in the exhibition “Crowning Moments”.