Gifts for the Kunstkammer The practice of princes and heads of state exchanging gifts was as common then as now. A set of deer antlers embedded in a piece of a tree-trunk, and presented by the Duke of Württemberg to Frederik III, can now be seen at the Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry. In 1654 the King received an exceptional gift from the Dutch prince, Johann Moritz of Nassau-Siegen. This comprised 26 paintings - portraits of Johann Moritz, life-size portraits of South American Indians and Africans, as well as smaller depictions of tropical fruits. Johann Moritz had been governor of Brazil from 1636-44 (at that time a Dutch colony), and the paintings were executed in the 1640s by the Dutch artist Albert Eckhout, one of the many artists and men of science who made up Johann Moritz' entourage. 24 of these outstanding ethnographic representations have survived and are in the National Museum's Ethnographic Collection Still-life by Albert Eckhout (National Museum) 'The Turkish Trophies' of the Kunstkammer were presented to Frederik III by his admiral, Cort Sivertsen Adler (1622-75), who as a young man became a captain in the Venetian navy. He was involved in several clashes with the Turks, and among his reported captures was the admiral's standard. This one can be found along with other weaponry in the National Museum's Ethnographic Collection. We can also assume that Frederik III will have sent for items from the various royal palaces, which he considered to be of sufficient value and interest for inclusion in the Kunstkammer collection, in the same way that sumptuous objects from the Danish Church's Catholic period were gathered in. 'The Turkish Trophies' from Cort Adler. Engraving from Museum Regium 1710 To previous page Purchases for the Kunstkammer To next page The 1674-inventory