Caspar Herbach

Caspar Herbach (1600 – 18 October 1664), sometimes referred to as Kunst-Caspar (lit. 'Art-Caspar'),[1] was a German artisan who served as court goldsmith to Christian IV of Denmark as well as his successor Frederick III of Denmark. Prior to the coronation of Frederick III and Queen Sophie Amalie, he was charged with creating a new crown for the queen.

Herbach was also operating Lyngby Water Mill north of Copenhagen as a fulling mill which collaborated with the Tugt- og Børnehuset correctional facility in Christianshavn.

Early life

Harrbach was born in 1600 in Saxony. In 1620, he settled as an artisan in Lichtenberg, working both as an artistic woodworker, goldsmith and mechanician. He was also conducting experiments with alchemy.[1]

Career in Copenhagen

In 1642, he was summoned to Denmark by Christian IV where he was employed as court cabinetmaker (hofsnedker). From 1643, he was also used by the king as a goldsmith, silversmith, and as scientific instrument maker. He was also charged with approving metal samples and coins from Norway (then part of Denmark-Norway).[1]

In his capacity of court goldsmith, he was responsible for maintenance of the crown regalia. Prior to Duke Frederick's ascend to the throne, as Frederick III, in 1648. he was charged with creating a new crown for queen Sophie Amalie. Allegedly, Leonora Christine paid him a visit while he was working on the crown. When she demanded to see it and tried it on, she dropped it and one of the jewels was broken into pieces. Herbach reported the incident to the king but was instructed to keep quiet about it. When the queen none the less found out, she was convinced that Leonora Christine had dropped it on purpose. According to Ludvig Holberg, this was the reason for the queen's later harsh treatment of Leonora Christine.[2]

In 1649, Herbach is mentioned as residing in a house in Rosenborg Castle Gardens. The building was also used for experimenting with alchemy.[3] He later moved to a property in Christianshavn. A laboratory for metallogical experiments was at his disposal at Copenhagen Castle.

In 1664, he was involved in the construction of a new water pipe from Emdrup Lake to the castle. In 1656, he was sent to Amsterdam to negotiate with Johann Rudolf Glauber in relation to some "chemical matters". The latter concerned some silver and gold compounds with allegedly excellent medical properties as well as an allegedly successful alchemistic experiment carried out by Glaüber.[1] After his return to Copenhagen, Herbach contributed to the installation of the new Royal Cabinet of Art and Curiosities on Slotsholmen. In 1663, he was appointed royal mast minter. In this connection, he was also granted a plot of land between Provianthuset and Boldhuset. He used it for the construction of a building which would be known as Møntergården (English: The Minter's House) until it was torn down.[4] In 1653, it was awarded freedom from all property taxes.

Activities in Lyngby

In 1650, Herbach acquired Lyngby Watermill from the crown for his and his heirs' life time. He also bought a farm in Lyngby from the peasant Jon Henningsen.

During the Northern War of 1655–1660, Herbach's watermill in Lyngby was destroyed by the Swedish troops. In 1662, Herbach constructed a new fulling mill on the site. As compensation for his losses, Frederick III granted him a monopoly on the operation of such a mill within a radius of four Danish miles (c. 40 km) from Copenhagen. The fulling mill was shortly thereafter expanded with a grinding mill. It collaborated with the Tugt- og Børnehuset correctional facility on Christianshavns Torv in Christianshavn. On 1 April 1662, he was also granted a license to establish the first inn in Lyngby.[4]

Personal life

Herbach was married twice. His first wife was Margaretha (died 7 December 1653). On 6 September 1656, he married secondly to Anna Holtschart (born c. 1682) from Antwarp. Her parents were Didrik Holtschart (1575–1652) and Geske Ruess (1585–1653).[1] Herbach died on 18 October 1664. His funeral was held on 24 October at St. Peter's Church.[4]

Herbach eldest son Christian (died 1654) was associated to Royal Mint from 1650. The youngest son Frederik Caspar (died 1672) succeeded their father as mint master. He and his stepmother continued the watermill in Lyngby. Frederik Caspar Herbach fled the country when he was found guilty of forgery. In 1680, Anne Herbach's right to continue the watermill for her lifetime was confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Legacy

Herbach's crown for Queen Sophie Amalie has not survived. The gemstones from the crown were most likely reused by Frederik Fabritius when he created a new crown for Queen Sophie Magdalene, Christian VI's consort, in 1731, allegedly because she had refused to wear a crown which had been worn by her despiced predecessor, Queen Anna Sophie Reventlow, Frederick IV's second consort.

Some of Herbach's other works are on display in the Treasury under Rosenborg Castle. The largest of the brass chandeliers in Lyngby Church were donated to the church by Herbachøs wudiw un memory of her husband. The central globe features an inscription.[5]

A portrait painting of Herbach from c. 1650 is on display in the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød (Room 31, A303).[6] Herbach is also one of the persons seen in Heinrich Hansen's 1879–1880 painting The Homage of 1660. in the same museum. Hansen based his portrait of Herbach on the 1550 painting.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Caspar Herbach". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (in Danish). Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Lyngby Mølle" (in Danish). Lyngby Stadsarkiv. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  3. ^ Dahl, Rolf. "Kgl. destillerer Niels Holst og laboratoriet i Rosenborg Have" (PDF) (in Danish). Historiske Meddelelser om København. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Nystrøm, Eiler. "Lyngby Sogn i fortid og nutid" (PDF) (in Danish). Forlaget Zac. p. 46-54, 67. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  5. ^ Sandfeld,Johannes S. "Træj af Lyngbys historie" (PDF) (in Danish). Forlaget Zac. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  6. ^ "A 303" (in Danish). Lyngby Stadsarkiv. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
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