Svend Krage’s maritime collection

The collection and its origin

Fisherman Svend Krage (1915-1988) of Hirtshals devoted his life to the sea and was a keen collector of maritime items. As a true Hirtshals boy and as one the Men of the North Sea, he ran away to sea at the age of fourteen and lived as a sailor, salvor and fisherman for almost forty years. At a very early age, then, the sea became a crucial part of Svend Krage’s life, centred on the North Jutland coast. It is told that he was strongly drawn to his own seafaring environment and that he had a deep love of the sea and Hirtshals, which was the basis of his great interest in all kinds of maritime relics.

Many of the items were collected at sea voyages to Scotland, Norway, Greenland, the Orkneys and the Shetlands, but he also managed to collect many items from his native part of Denmark where numerous ships had been shipwrecked in the rough waters of the North Sea throughout the centuries. Thus, Svend Krage’s maritime collection came to include everything related to the sea, although he primarily collected name boards. Svend Krage exhibited all the items in his home in Hirtshals, which, in time, became famous as a private maritime museum. But the collection also became a part of Svend Krage himself, so to speak, since he carefully restored the various items and often told the story behind them personally.

The contents of the collection

Svend Krage’s maritime collection spans several generations and awakens reminiscences of the eventful seafaring life. The collection is very varied and includes ship’s bells, an octant, ship’s tackles, sail and rope maker’s tools, a water glass, a large binnacle and various kinds of fishing tackle.

Furthermore, Svend Krage’s maritime collection contains several curios, e.g. a belaying pin, a bottle of red wine, a measuring cup for rum as well as a marling spike from the English warship ”HMS Crescent” that shipwrecked during the Napoleonic Wars, December 6th 1808 off the coast at Mårup Church near Lønstrup. Incidentally, these latter items are the oldest items included in the auction.

The collection contains more than 100 name boards from several different countries, and many of them are beautifully decorated with carvings of fish, sea gulls or flags for instance – depending on where the ship hailed from. The oldest name board seems to be the ”Gefjon” that, according to Svend Krage’s records derives from the smack Gefjon of Tornby, which sailed between Løkken and Norway around 1850. The name boards come in all sizes – ranging from about 35 centimetres, as used for small skiffs, to more than 3 metres such as one of the more spectacular name boards of the auction, i.e. the name board from the Swedish schooner ”Niels Hertzberg” of Carlshamn which was shipwrecked January 11th 1882 off Løkken.

The theme auction

Svend Krage’s maritime collection from Hirtshals is offered for sale at online auction No. 821 where the first knock-down is effectuated Thursday, May 22nd 2008 at 11.00 am.

The collection will be presented in its entirety in our online catalogue as of Friday, May 9th at 2.00 pm, whereas the preview in our Harbour branch opens Saturday, May 17th at 10.00 am.

Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers of Fine Art wish you fair wind at the auction of Svend Krage’s maritime collection from Hirtshals.

Read more about the auction