Royal Copenhagen Porcelain

Royal Copenhagen porcelain, ware produced by the Royal Porcelain Factory, Copenhagen, from 1775 to the present day. The factory was founded by a chemist, Frantz Heinrich Müller, who was given a 50-year monopoly. Three wavy lines, one above the other, were adopted as a factory mark in 1775. When, in 1779, the king assumed financial responsibility, the factory was styled the Royal Porcelain Factory.

Much elegant ware, particularly decorated in cobalt blue, was produced; a fluted surface (mussel pattern) was popular, as was painted stylized-flower decoration. The factory produced notably modeled figures, both glazed and biscuit (unglazed porcelain). The most famous production, however, was the great “Flora Danica” service (now, but for a few pieces, in Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen). Intended as a gift for Catherine II of Russia, who died while it was being produced, the service numbered 1,802 items. These include minor objects, such as eggcups, as well as impressive tureens, dishes, and plates. The service was intended as a display of every wild plant in the kingdom. Johann Christoph Bayer painted every item, relying on the illustrations in a book of Danish flora. The pattern was revived in 1863 and is still in production. Underglaze-painted blue ware forms the largest proportion of the immense contemporary output of Royal Copenhagen.