Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory founded on May 1, 1775 under the patronage of Queen Julianne Marie is anything but stodgy.

Denmark's Royal Copenhagen porcelain is famous around the world for its classic elegance and durability, and is lovingly handed down from generation to generation. Their Blue Fluted (Mussel) design inspired by a Chinese chrysanthemum was the first pattern made and continues to remain their most popular dinner service. You can actually feel the love that Royal Copenhagen puts into their Blue Fluted design, which requires 1,197 brush strokes, half of which are small dots, to complete just one dinner plate.

Blue Fluted Mega

Royal Copenhagen, like the Danish people themselves, is a very open-minded company, and despite the popularity of their Blue Fluted pattern, when a young design student by the name of Karen Kjældgård-Laresen proposed a new design idea in 2000 based on Blue Fluted, they were open to hear her ideas. Her design resulted in a new pattern called Blue Fluted Mega, which enlarged a small detail of the Blue Fluted chrysanthemum, to create a modern stylized version of the famous Blue Fluted design. Royal Copenhagen created a set of Blue Fluted Mega salad plates to test the market, and the pattern became so successful that it evolved into a dinner service.

Black Fluted Mega

When things work, you keep on going. With the success of Blue Fluted Mega, in October 2006 Royal Copenhagen launched Black Fluted Mega, which is classic yet contemporary, and is interesting to pair with the Blue Fluted Mega. At present, Black Fluted Mega consists of dinner and salad plates, a high handled cup, a mug, and a pitcher. There are also black plates that work beautifully as charger plates for this new pattern.  

Also new to Royal Copenhagen, is the introduction of Black Fluted, launched in November 2006, and is "elegant and formal, like the Little Black Dress," according to Josephine Lynn Dillon, Vice President of Royal Copenhagen USA. Black Fluted gives new dimension to the Blue Fluted design.  

Raspberry Fluted

Another stunning design coming in 2007 is the introduction of Raspberry Fluted, which will be exclusive to Bergdorf-Goodman. This gorgeous service has a very romantic, elegant, and feminine feel. I can imagine intimate tête-à-tête dinners or lovely luncheons using Raspberry Fluted, paired with pink depression ware glasses, or stunning silver by The Corbell Company. 

Although beautiful patterns by themselves, Black Fluted and Raspberry Fluted work well when combined with the original Blue Fluted pattern. There are no style rules today, combine older Royal Copenhagen patterns with newer designs to create your own unique distinctive style. Pair your family's treasures with Royal Copenhagen. Ms. Dillon and I firmly agree that we should use our good things everyday and not wait for a special occasion. Make everyday a special occasion.

Royal Copenhagen, also well known for their Christmas plates, will celebrate their 100^th anniversary of the Christmas plate. The tradition of the Christmas plate is one steeped in history. At Christmastime in feudal Denmark, serfs would receive platters laden with special food gifts. Every year the people would save the platters and began to hang them on their walls, which evolved into the tradition of giving the Christmas plate. In 1895 Bing & Grundel created the first commercial Christmas plate. Royal Copenhagen acquired the company, and produced their first Christmas plate in 1908. American GIs brought the Scandinavian Christmas tradition of the Christmas plate to the United States, and the tradition continues.  

Flora Danica, which depicts Danish flowers, is the most romantic pattern in the Royal Copenhagen line. Crown Prince Frederik commissioned the porcelain on the behalf of King Christian VII of Denmark for the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. In 1863, 60 years after the original service was completed, a new Flora Danica service was created as a gift for Princess Alexandra on her marriage to the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII. The Flora Danica line features beautiful renderings of flowers on delicate hand-molded, hand-painted, and gilded porcelain. 

Jørgen Nielsen

Although originally commissioned by Kings and Queens, today, porcelain connoisseurs still commission original services from the company. One of the recent and most important commissions of the last 100 years was the 144-piece Hippopotamus Service commissioned by a private collector of antique neo-classical porcelain, painted on the Flora Danica shape, and depicts 303 different views. I met with Royal Copenhagen artist Mr. Jørgen Nielsen when he was in New York to discuss this important commission. After 30 years of painting at Royal Copenhagen, Mr. Nielsen said that it was exciting to paint the Hippopotamus service, and that he felt that this work was his best painting ever. Definitely a work of passion and commitment, he made his own brushes and his owns colors, and as a lover of plants and nature, he really gave life to this service destined to become a porcelain legend.  

After more than 230 years, Royal Copenhagen knows how to blend history and tradition, while keeping an eye to a luxurious future.  

For information on Royal Copenhagen, please visit the website at: www.RoyalCopenhagen.com.

For information in the United States, please contact:

Ms. Josephine Lynn Dillon
Vice President
Royal Copenhagen USA
41 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10010
Telephone:      +1-212-532-5051
Fax:                 +1-212-679-2287
Email:             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   

© December 2006 Luxury Experience www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.