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	King Frederik VI in anointment robes
	Wilhelm Bendz (1804–32): Kong Frederik 6. i salvingsdragt (King Frederik VI in his anointment robes) (1768, 1808–39) Oil on canvas. 37 x 26 cm. MKH 14333. Donated 1944. Previously included in the Holger Kyster collection. Frame by P. C. Damborg (1801–61). Literature: Harald Langberg: Tronstolene paa Christiansborg. Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 1950. 1951, pp. 181–188. - Wilhelm Bendz 1804–1832. Et ungt kunstnerliv. Ed. Marianne Saabye. 1996, p. 132ff.   The king in his ceremonial anointment robes in the throne room of the second Christiansborg castle in Copenhagen in 1831. King Frederik VI was more than willing to be painted in front of the throne, in this case the king's throne, designed by C. F. Hansen, beneath a draped canopy supported by two caryatids designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. Study for a painting that was to be hung in the Danish provincial government building in the West Indies. Following the sale of these islands to the USA in 1917, the painting was brought back to Denmark, where it was hung in the banqueting hall at Christiansborg castle. Slightly earlier sketches of the same motif can be seen in the Rosenborg castle collection and the Frederiksborg castle museum.   The king's robes are usually called coronation robes, a description that is incorrect. Denmark's absolute monarchs – the kings from 1660 to 1849 – were not crowned, as the rules of succession meant that they automatically assumed the power of king on the death of their predecessor. On the other hand, their accession to the throne was confirmed in a religious ceremony of anointment, in which the king was dressed in the robes of the order of the Dannebrog (the Danish flag), a design that originated during the reign of King Christian V.   Wilhelm Bendz was a pupil of Eckersberg at the Kunstakademiet (the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts). He was awarded the Academy's silver medals in 1824 and 1825. In 1830, he was awarded a travelling scholarship from the Fonden ad usus publicos. In 1831, Bendz thus travelled via Berlin and Dresden to Trieste, from where he sailed to Venice. Later on, he travelled via Padua to Vicenza, where he died in 1832. Prior to travelling, however, he had managed to complete a commission for the Danish king, viz. a large portrait of King Frederik VI in his anointment robes.
	Wilhelm Bendz (1804–32): Kong Christian 8. i salvingsdragt (King Christian VIII in his anointment robes) (1768, 1808–39) Pencil. 26.4 x 19.4 cm. MKH 817x1. Purchased 1990 (Nellemann & Thomsen, auction 607, cat. no. 1170). Literature: Wilhelm Bendz 1804–1832. Et ungt kunstnerliv. Ed. Marianne Saabye. 1996, p. 132ff.   Drawn from Eckersberg's 1826 painting of King Frederik VI in his anointment robes at the Sorø Academy. Bendz chose a different arrangement for his final painting, cf. MKH 14333.