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1 of 253523 objects
Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark (1751-75) c.1770
Oil on canvas | 69.6 x 54.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 403924

Jens Juel (1745-1802)
Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark (1751-75) c.1770

Jens Juel (1745-1802)
Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark (1751-75) c.1770


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Juel was the favoured portraitist of the Danish Royal family and was appointed court painter in 1780. The artist was known for his sensitive, elegant likenesses and painted many portraits of the siblings and of their family.
This portrait depicts Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and sister of George III; it was presented to Queen Victoria in 1867. A pair of portraits of her children, Prince Frederick (later Frederick VI) and Princess Louise Augusta, belonged to George III and survives in the Collection (RCIN 404343-4).
The youngest daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, Caroline Matilda married Christian VII of Denmark (1749-1808) in 1766, when she was fifteen. Her husband was neglectful and mentally unstable and she soon began an affair with his advisor and effective ruler of the country, Johann Friedrich Struensee (1737-72). In 1772 the affair was discovered, Struansee executed, Caroline Matilda divorced and sent to exile in Celle, Hanover, where she died three years later.
In this intimate portrait, presumably dating from around 1770, the sitter appears wearing a simple white satin gown crossed over lace at front. On her head is a gold and pearl tiara partially covered by white veil edged with silver thread which reaches down over shoulders.Provenance
Presented to Queen Victoria in 1867; recorded hanging in the Visitors' Dressing Room (Room no 242) at Windsor Castle in 1878
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
69.6 x 54.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
111.3 x 78.3 x 12.4 cm (frame, with detachable parts)
Alternative title(s)
Caroline Matilda, daughter of Frederick Prince of Wales, wife of Christian VII of Denmark (1751-75)