The painting depicts the post-liberation government which assumed power after the German occupation of Denmark, 1940-45. The date is 9 May 1945, and the government and the royal family are receiving representatives of the Allied forces in the same room (the Joint Hall) that the painting now hangs in. The occasion was the reopening of the Rigsdag after World War II had come to an end and Denmark was once again a free country.
© Folketinget