Bente Scavenius

CHRISTMAS IN VENICE
Christmas is an enchanting time. In the middle of a dark December we gather with loved ones and find comfort in traditions. But while you sit in the cosy glow of candle lights and warm yourself with a hot drink, why not allow yourself to dream? What if Christmas was a chance to do something new, grab those closest to you and disappear into a new Christmas universe where dreams and reality come together in the most enchanting of settings? This is the foundation for Royal Copenhagen’s Christmas Table Exhibition 2022.

A tablecloth full of traditions

”I’m very fond of hosting Christmas Eve and gathering my children and grandchildren. I set the table myself and cook all the food from scratch,” Bente Scavenius recounts of the festive holiday season. While her own Christmas table changes theme from year to year, the tablecloth is always the same. Bente bought it years ago at a market in Rome and it became the inspiration for her Royal Copenhagen Christmas table.

Venice as inspiration

With her Christmas universe Bente wanted to create a magic that she particularly finds in historic Venetian ‘palazzi’ where time stands still and beauty is found in the fading rooms. The table is set with a beautiful brocade tablecloth from Venetian Fortuny, which with its red and golden nuances is reminiscent of Bente’s own Christmas tablecloth.

Saxon Flower

The almost Victorian table setting features a bevelled mirror plateau, bronze candle holders and hand painted flower baskets and pieces from the vintage collection Saxon Flower from Royal Copenhagen. With its charming and colourful florals, it reminds Bente of her childhood home in the Danish island of Møn. The table is set for Bente’s family with the elegant White Fluted Full Lace and a special production of the Fluted Half Lace collection in an iron red hue to compliment the tablecloth.

AN ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS

Within the theme “An Enchanted Christmas”, this year’s exhibition explores the invited table decorators’ dreams and thoughts when their creativity is set free. With one foot planted in their own Christmas traditions and the other in their specific branch of the arts, the table decorators reach for a Christmas full of creativity and magic.

Items from Bente Scavenius' table

About Bente Scavenius

Bente Christina Brønnum Scavenius (b. 1944). Art historian, art critic and writer of numerous books. Married to actor Joen Bille and together they have the children Peder and Beate.

A close up of the drapes from the christmas tables 2022

Christmas Tables 2022

Explore the other Christmas Tables on Amagertorv 6 in Copenhagen or online here.

SEE ALL THE TABLES