Picnic scene

Eighty-one oil paintings on wood, purchased in the Netherlands, were exhibited on the walls of Christian IV’s salon at Rosenberg between 1615 and 1620. The current display attempts to reconstitute the original layout in which they were hung.

The painting shows a lunch on the grass with many noble characters. The scene is in a woodland clearing. A manor house may be seen in the left background. A white cloth has been spread directly on the ground and pewter dishes and plates of different sizes have been placed upon it. A big dish bears a pheasant pie made from a pâté en croûte decorated with the bird’s head, wings, feathers and tail. In the foreground a woman raises her glass, apparently inviting the viewer to join the scene. Several scenes of seduction are taking place around her.