Silverware by the master of functionalism
There is silver tableware, costume silver and church silver. And there are heart-shaped scent bottle pendants, flatware, dishes, trophies, beakers, jugs and other solid silver items. Explore Denmark’s largest collection of works by the master of functionalism Svend Weihrauch. A groundbreaking Danish silversmith who, in about 1920, advanced functionalism in Denmark, and whose work is known worldwide today.
Battle of Køge Bay medal
There is also – even though it is made of gold – the large and technically perfect Battle of Køge Bay medal. It was created in memory of Denmark’s greatest maritime victory over the Swedish fleet in what was later called the Battle of Køge Bay, which took place on 1 July 1677.
The silverware is on display in the Jewellery Box, which can be found below ground level in the 1974 neighbourhood. There is an entrance from the pedestrian street.
Svend Weihrauch
Svend Weihrauch was born on 8 July 1899 in Viborg. He trained from 1914 to 1918 as a silversmith and chaser with the goldsmith Hans Christian Matthiasen in Nykøbing Falster.
In 1928, he started working for the goldsmith Frantz Hingelberg in Aarhus, where he was soon made head of the workshop. He designed and made his own works of largely tableware, flatware and jewellery. More than 5,000 of his drawings have been preserved. Svend Weihrauch retired from Frantz Hingelberg in 1956 and died on 14 June 1962 in Aarhus.
Facts about the Køge Bay Medal
The Køge Bay Medal has a diameter of 12.8 centimetres, weighs 457 grams and is made of 24-carat gold. The medal was struck by the engraver Christopher Schneider in Copenhagen – probably around 1686. Christopher Schneider was of German origin and died in 1701.
A winding path to Den Gamle By
The medal’s journey to Den Gamle By is a story in its own right. Queen Juliane Marie of Brunswick, widow of Frederick V, gave it to her grandson Prince Christian (later Christian VIII) as a christening present in 1786.
It remained in the royal family until the death of Frederick VII, when his commoner wife, Countess Danner, inherited it.
After several auctions, during which the medal had travelled around the world, a well-known medal collector from Aarhus bought it in 1932 for around 4,000 kroner. He was stopped at customs, where the customs officers demanded 275 kroner in gold value before they would hand it over to him.
However, before the collector had managed to scrape the money together, the police arrested him on suspicion of fraud. For a number of years, he had been embezzling money to fund his collecting habit.
A group of Aarhus residents, led by librarian Ejler Haugsted, raised funds and donated the medal to the Aarhus Museum. From there, it was later transferred to Den Gamle By.
