26/10/2021
We have some lovely items arriving this week from Aalholm Slot Castle in Denmark.
The contents of this castle were auctioned with Sotheby’s in 1996.
Aalholm Slot is situated in a picturesque inlet on the Baltic coast. It was founded as a coastal fortress and became an important royal castle in 1375.
It has been the home of the Raben Levetzau family since 1725, the Danish King, Frederik IV, sold property in order to pay off war-debts. This included Aalholm Slot which was auctioned in 1725.
The Slot was bought by Emerentia Von Levetzau (1669-1746), the widow of Johan Otto Raben (1646-1719), a courier from Mecklenburg. She bought other estates nearby and founded the County of Christiansholm. The estate passed to her son Otto Ludvig Raben (1730-1791), an accomplished flautist who studied in Paris. In 1766 alone, Otto Ludvig performed 157 concerts, many at the Royal Court. He altered much of the Slot in the mid-17th Century, redecorating the East wing in 1761.
When he died in 1791, Aalholm was inherited by Ottos Ludvig’s son, Frederik Christian Raben (1769-1838), an avid natural historian who studied flowers, plants, minerals and astronomy and formed large collections of books, birds and plants. He planted many rare trees in the park at Aalholm. He travelled widely and died in Rio de Janeiro on a botanical journey.
His eldest son, Gregers Christian Raben (1838-1875), was an educated Doctor of Philosophy who studied in Germany. An eccentric character, he refused to continue to live at Aalholm following the death of his beloved wife, Anna Lund, who died childless.
The next notable family member to live at Aalholm was Frederik Christopher (1850-1933) who made a name for himself in diplomatic service. As a young man posted to Rome, he met, fell in love with and married Lillie Suzanne (1864-1946), the daughter of an American banker. Frederik Christopher served the Danish Government as Foreign Minister between 1905-1908.
After refurbishment, Aalholm was the setting for some of the most glittering international gatherings for the period. Visits from members of the Royal European families, included Wilhelm II of Germany, Edward VII of England and the King of Sweden. The dining room, ballroom and red salon were enlarged to accommodate parties and balls.
Johan Otto, took over the estate in 1933 and ran it until his death when the estate was passed to his son John Otto. Together with wife Merete, Aalholm became established as one of the best-known tourist attractions in Denmark. Since 1972, when the Slot was first publicly opened, nearly 50,000 people visited each year.
Like many landowners of Denmark, the couple were faced with difficulties in raising revenue to maintain the up-keep of a large estate like Aalholm. Due to a drop in tourism and financial problems experienced following Johan Ottos death, a difficult decision was made to sell the Slot and its contents with the hope that perspective purchasers would look after and cherish the objects in the same way that the family had done since 1725.
