Vignet til Frederik IV's Salvingsakt 1749

This is an engraving by Odvardt Helmoldt de Lode, made in Denmark around 1750. The print depicts a vignette made for the coronation of King Frederick IV. A royal crown sits above an ornate frame, flanked by cherubs. The text accompanying the vignette describes the rituals of the coronation, in which bishops bowed before the king and queen. In this period, the Danish monarchy was absolute, with the king holding supreme power sanctioned by God. The coronation ceremony was a key institution in the construction of royal authority. By the mid-18th century, however, this model was beginning to be challenged by Enlightenment ideas about popular sovereignty and the rights of man. Historians of political culture use such visual and textual sources to understand the changing social and political landscape.