The thistle, the tea-light holder’s motif, is taken from the Glyptotek’s floor mosaic in Room 10 of the building designed by architect Hack Kampmann, and under construction in the years 1903-1906.
The thorny thistle, Carduus Achantoides, is the Scottish national flower and was laid as a declaration of love to Carl Jacobsen’s wife Ottilia, who came from Scotland.
Brewing magnate Carl Jacobsen, who was the founder of the Glyptotek and a passionate art collector, met Ottilia during a work experience attachment at Younger’s Brewery in Edinburgh in 1868. Ottilia was said to be gentle, cautious and calm – the exact opposite of the quick-tempered brewer.