What if I told you this statue of Dronning Margrete I almost never came to be? Here stands Dronning Margrete I Statue. It portrays Denmark’s most powerful regent of the Middle Ages. Margrete united Norway, Sweden, and Denmark in the Kalmar Union. She shared in the government from 1376 to 1412.
This impressive bronze statue is three meters high. You will find it on Roskilde Torv. Notice the horse. It is heavy. It reflects the kind of horse common in Margrete’s time. The horse appears powerful but calm. Look at Dronning Margrete I. She sits upright and relaxed in the saddle. She has no reins. This symbolizes her powerful position.
The creation of the Dronning Margrete I Statue began around 1896. Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen started sketching the horse. Interestingly a female sculptor created the statue of this famous queen. Anne Marie was well-known for her animal sculptures. She was also the wife of composer Carl Nielsen.
However, funding problems halted the project. For decades the statue existed only as a plaster cast. It gathered dust in the Roskilde Museum’s storage. Finally in 2006 the statue was cast in its entirety.
Queen Margrethe II unveiled the Dronning Margrete I Statue. It was a gift from Elsebeth Stryhn and Claus B. Hansen. The Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Legacy also supported the creation.
Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen grew up in the countryside. Her close contact with animals greatly influenced her art. She began sculpting at a young age. Her animal statues show keen observation. They also display empathy for the animals’ nature and movements.
Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen was a groundbreaking artist. She was one of the first women to be taken seriously as a sculptor. She was the first female sculptor to receive a commission for a royal equestrian statue. She also designed bronze doors for a cathedral.
Roskilde commissioned the equestrian statue of Dronning Margrete I from Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen in the 1890s. She completed the first model around 1897. Lack of funding prevented its completion. In 2006 the statue was finally realized. It was based on the plaster model stored at the Roskilde Museum. Now it stands proudly on Københavnsvej near Ro’s Torv Shopping Center. This statue of Dronning Margrete I serves as a powerful reminder of a remarkable queen and a talented sculptor.