Wax bust of Sophie Amalie
When Sophie Amalie learnt that wax busts were the height of fashion at the court of the Sun King, naturally, the fashion-conscious queen had to have one made in her own likeness
With inspiration from the Sun King
Prince Jørgen brought the idea with him from Paris
During a stay in Paris, Sophie Amalie’s son Prince Jørgen saw wax busts of the French Sun King, Louis XIV, and his mistress Madame Maintenon. Prince Jørgen also had a self-portrait made in wax. When Sophie Amalie learnt that these wax busts were the height of fashion at the French royal court, naturally, she had to have one made in her own likeness. She immediately had plaster casts made of her hands and face and sent to the French sculptor Antoine Benoist in Paris.
The Queen's clothes and make-up
The result, which she received in 1670, is on display in the Dark Room at Rosenborg Castle. The Queen's bust is dressed in fashionable clothing. The dress is made of white and pale blue silver brocade with wide golad and silver lace. The dress is believed to have been Sophie Amalie's own, but since the bust was made in the ‘ideal’ measurements of the time, rather than Sophie Amalie's actual size, the dress had to be taken in to fit the body of the wax figure.
The face has ‘make-up’ in the form of delicate lines around the eyes and mouth and originally had eyelashes made of real hair. The French sculptor gave the figure a blond curly wig, but over time, it became quite worn, and around 1731, it was replaced with a new wig made of dark brown human hair. The jewellery is a mix of cut glass and wax beads coated with essence of fishs cales to look like mother of pearl.
A trendy queen
Sophie Amalie was a capable queen who knew how important representation and style was to the reputation of a king. Queen Sophie Amalie was one of the first in Europe to spot the rising popularity of Chinese style. That is why Rosenborg Castle now has Europe's oldest room decorated in the Chinese style. She also arranged performances by visiting ballet companies, which was hugely popular at European courts at the time.
Sophie Amalie died on 20 February 1685 at Sophie Amalienborg, a Baroque-style country seat that she commissioned and named after herself. The palace was located more or less where Amalienborg Palace stands today but burnt down in 1689.
Photos: Royal Danish Collection