“Som prins med morian”
Om slavegjorte pager i dansk portrætkunst fra det 18. århundrede
Keywords:
Portraiture, Blackness, colonialism, slavery, The Order of the ElephantAbstract
The article examines how enslaved Black children, so-called pages, appear in Danish portrait paintings from the 18th century and how Danish museums continue to overlook or minimize their presence. Focusing on portraits of Princess Charlotte Amalie and King Christian VI, the article shows how institutional descriptions emphasize royal symbols while ignoring enslaved figures who are clearly visible in the artworks. The article further argues that this particular kind of portraiture affirms white subjectivity while rendering enslaved figures visible only as objects or accessories, not as subjects. The term “moor,” still sometimes used in Danish museum texts, is analyzed as a racialized and dehumanizing label that reinforces this logic. Finally, the article calls for new interpretive language that confronts the violence and dehumanization embedded in these images.
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