History of the Factory

A royal connection, blue waves and countless brushstrokes are just some of the main ingredients in the history of Royal Copenhagen, which began back in 1775.

1775

“The Danish Porcelain Factory” is founded as a limited company under the patronage of the Queen Dowager Juliane Marie, Crown Prince Frederik and King Christian VII. The factory is established at St. Kjøbmagergade 50 and in accordance with the Queen’s wishes, the factory adopts three wavy lines as its trademark, symbolising the Great Belt, the Little Belt and Øresund. The Blue Fluted dinnerware is the first pattern produced by the porcelain factory. Hence, the identification printed on the bottom of each piece is no. 1.

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1779

The factory’s finances are in a wretched state as a result of building up stock instead of selling it. King Christian VII takes over financial responsibility. The factory changes its name to “The Royal Danish Porcelain Factory” (Den Kongelige Danske Porcelainsfabrik). 

1790 - Flora Danica

The Flora Danica collection is named after the botanical encyclopaedia of the same name, created in 1761. The first Flora Danica dinner service was commissioned by Crown Prince Frederik on behalf of King Christian VII of Denmark as a gift for Empress Catherine II (the Great) of Russia. To this day, Flora Danica remains one of the finest examples of European art from the golden age of porcelain. Flora Danica is still made by hand in Denmark.

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1868

The Royal Porcelain Factory is privatised. The first female porcelain painter is employed and the craft of hand painting porcelain gradually becomes women’s work.

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1885

A young architect named Arnold Krog is appointed artistic director in an effort to revitalise the factory. Krog’s first step in breathing new life into the world of royal Danish porcelain is to further develop the technique for painting under the glaze, making it possible to depict landscapes and naturalistic decorations on the porcelain. He focuses on the factory’s Pattern No. 1., Blue Fluted, and would soon become known world-wide for his work.

1889

Arnold Krog’s underglaze is awarded the Grand Prix at the World Fair in Paris and the porcelain factory expands into the world with store openings in Paris, New York and London. 

1911

The Royal Danish Porcelain Factory moves its Flagship Store to its current address at Amagertorv 6 in the heart of Copenhagen. A beautiful renaissance building from 1616 and one of Copenhagen’s oldest houses.

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1950-70

The Danish Modern period. The dinner services and individual pieces are created by artists such as Thorkild Olsen, Axel Salto, Gertrud Vasegaard, Erik Magnussen, Henning Koppel and Grethe Meyer. The style is modern, simple and romantic.

2000

Royal Copenhagen celebrates its 225th anniversary by launching a new dinner service, Blue Fluted Mega, created by young design student Karen Kjældgård-Larsen. Blue Fluted Mega is an exciting revitalisation of the factory’s oldest pattern and a refreshing take on the hand-painted tradition. Karen Kjældgård-Larsen gives the classic blue fluted pattern fresh impact by enlarging selected details of the original design.

Blue Fluted Mega

Today

Royal Copenhagen continues to elevate classic porcelain with a design philosophy that is forever anchored in more than 200 years of history. While collaborations with contemporary and inspired minds such as, Louise Campbell, KiBiSi, Wouter Dolk and GamFratesi may bring new patterns, colours and shapes to the Royal Copenhagen universe, the collections continue to pay tribute to the proud heritage.

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