The Hall

The Hall

Through the hall, visitors are led to the house’s two wings: the men’s wing and the women’s wing. The presentation of the estate’s contents, along with its natural resources, industries, and history, continues. The families who lived on the farms owned a significant fleet of ships, and several of the items are associated with their trading activities. The religious motifs on the cabinets and chests, the brass baptismal bowls, and the Ekenæs painting highlight the owners’ religiosity and clerical connections. In 1753, Karen de Werenskiold Huitfeldt was granted the right of advowson—the right to appoint priests. She had previously established an orphanage foundation and school for the residents around the main estate. This was in keeping with the State Pietism of Christian VI and his queen. Education at the time had a strong focus on the Bible.

Paintings

The four circular paintings bear witness to the estate’s natural resources and were painted by C. A. Lorentzen. The four motifs are Norwegian, depicting mining, hydropower and fishing, mountain hunting, and forest hunting. Lorentzen visited Hafslund to paint during an extensive journey through Norway in 1792. One of his most famous paintings is of the Sarpsfossen waterfall, which hangs in the National Museum. In addition to these tondi, he also painted the portrait of Rosenkrantz (owner of Hafslund 1797–1824) that hangs in the Great Hall.
Lorentzen’s journey in Norway was important for the “discovery” of Norwegian landscapes, and several artists from the continent followed in his footsteps. Upon returning home, he painted a series of landscapes, particularly of Norwegian waterfalls. These were later published as copper engravings in 43 large colored plates and achieved wide distribution.
Provenance
The paintings were purchased in the 1960s and had previously been in the continuous possession of the Augustenborg family, possibly dating back to the time when Prince Christian August of Augustenborg (1768–1810) briefly had his headquarters at Hafslund. He was a Danish-German prince and a central figure in Scandinavian history at the beginning of the 19th century. He served as the Governor-general of Norway from 1809 to 1810 and played a key role in defending Norwegian independence during the Napoleonic Wars. During the war against Sweden in 1808, he had his headquarters at Hafslund. In 1809, he was elected heir to the Swedish throne under the name Karl August, after King Gustav IV Adolf was deposed in a coup d’état.

Jahn, Ekenæs. Reclining Man, oil on canvas 1874

Furniture and Interiors

Renaissance, 17th-century. One is in light polished oak with religious motifs; the other is dark polished and richly decorated.

A pair of turned lidded vases decorated with peonies, late Ming period 1600–1650.

A pair with floral motifs and lions as lid knobs, faience, 17th-century.

Black furniture from Larvik, Norway. The furniture was pr esumably made for the royal visit to Larvik in 1733. Christian VI was there with his wife during the royal visit, for which Hartvig Huitfeldt (owner of Hafslund 1741–1748) had planned the itinerary. Along with his wife, Karen de Werenskiold Huitfeldt, they hosted the Majesties during their stay in Trondhjem. Christian VI also visited Hafslund.

Provenance: Purchased around 1890 at an auction in Larvik from a local pharmacist, bought by one of the city’s shipowners.

ca. 1670. Acanthus scrolls (foliage motif).

Brass reflector, 18th-century. Baroque with cherub head decoration and associated with Elieson’s coat of arms (owner of Hafslund 1754–1773)

Religious motif: Adam and Eve with the tree and the serpent

Religious motif: The Annunciation

18th-century, France. Rural motif