Royal Copenhagen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory (in Danish: Den kongelige Porcelænsfabrik), was founded in Copenhagen in 1775 under the protection of Queen Juliane Marie and has been recognised ever since by its factory mark, the three waved lines above each other, which symbolises Denmark’s three straits: Øresund, Store Bælt and Lille Bælt.

The factory was founded by a chemist, Frantz Heinrich Müller, who was given a 50-year monopoly. When, in 1779, the king assumed financial responsibility, the factory was styled the Royal Porcelain Factory.

In 1868 the Royal Porcelain Factory came into private hands and in 1882 the faience factory Aluminia purchased the factory. Shortly after Aluminia's acquisition of the factory, the production was moved to a modern factory building at Alumina’s site in Frederiksberg, on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Royal Copenhagen still has a factory shop there, but the actual production has moved outside the city today.

Among the most famous patterns are (original manufacturer in parenthesis):

Flora Danica, Blue Fluted (in Danish: Musselmalet), Blue Flower, Henriette, Saxon Flower, Fan, Gemina, and Gemma (Royal Copenhagen)
Empire, Offenbach, Butterfly, and Seagull (Bing & Grøndahl)
Tranquebar and Blue Line (Aluminia)

Royal Copenhagen acquired Georg Jensen in 1972, and incorporated with Holmegaard Glasværk in 1985 and finally Bing & Grøndahl in 1987. Royal Copenhagen is today a part of Royal Scandinavia together with Georg Jensen and is owned by the Danish private equity fund, Axcel. Following Axcel's acquisition of Royal Scandinavia, Holmegaard Glasværk has been sold in a MBO and a controlling interest in the Swedish glass works Orrefors Kosta Boda has been sold to New Wave Group.