Royal Copenhagen Collectors Guide

Royal Copenhagen

Among collectors, the most popular items are figures, animals and commemorative plates. Trailing way behind are all forms of tableware including the traditional blue and white or lace ware as well as Flora Danica. Some of the figures, which cover many aspects of human life, sell so well that they have been in production for over 100 years.





Danish rural life is mirrored by models of peasants in traditional costume such as a goose girl, swineherd, cowman and a girl with a calf which retails for $500- £350. The small children, in particular, prove irresistible. The girl with a cat can be bought for $300-£200 . There's also a little girl A crying and a boy and girl reading.





The Danes themselves often choose Hans Christian Andersen figures, with peasants and princesses      in typical fairy tale manner. Far more expensive is a 17-inch-high version of the Princess on the Pea first made in 1911 which has enamel decoration in browns and pink with gold detailing.

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Denmark's seafaring traditions are reflected by the classical pose of the lovers depicted in The Rock and the Wave produced in 1899. It is these pieces that attract the most interest at auction. The watery theme is perpetuated by the Bing and Grondahl mermaids and merboys in white porcelain which are rare in the UK and USA.









Figures in national dress from all over the world - many of them now out of production - are another good focus for a collection. Modern copies of many old models are made today but the markings reveal their origins. Visitors to the factory in Copenhagen can see videos about the porcelain before touring the works where the entire range of current production is on display. Animals are a great favorite in the factory shop .




"People often collect fish or birds or even just owls. There are so many different models and no two models of the same bird are exactly alike. It depends who's painted it. The smaller ones - say a blue budgie or a fat robin - sell for upwards of $150- £100 on the secondary market while a heron which may cost $750-£500 because the lacework  at the base was so complicated."

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Popular  pieces

 Like the kingfishers, are very sought after which pushes the prices up. There's so much detail on each one. Often you'll find that collectors have been to Denmark and seen the factory and it's a souvenir that starts them off collecting.



One of the more expensive piece is the Eagle which costs $2,250 £1,500 new. The design of some of the birds dates back to 1902 when the famous Arnold Krog - Art Director of the factory - produced his Barn Owls. This was followed in 1912 by Peter Herold's Long Eared Owl and his Snowy Owl in 1917.




The range of animals is wide - foxes and rabbits, calves and chickens, lions and elephants and delightful polar bears - with some of the designs dating back a long way. Prices of the older, out-of-production models such as the lioness, which now fetches around $650- £550 ,have risen since the range was cut  to 300 after the merger in the mid-1980s.

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The company then concentrated on the 'best sellers', among them the more affordable commemorative plates. Secondhand-ones can usually be picked up for around  $75-£50 while the very common ones are worth upwards of $25-£15. Christmas plates have been made continuously since 1908 with a different one each year. The blue and white designs are on relief moulded porcelain under glaze and the mould is destroyed after the production run.



The motifs vary from Christmas scenes to biblical themes. Until the Second World War, the year was in bold figures beside the word 'Jul' -meaning Yule. After that, 'Jul' was dropped in favour of a Christmas star to avoid confusion with the month, July. The 1926 plate shows people plodding to church through deep snow; 1972 depicts the three kings in a desert among palm trees and 1975 the Queen's Christmas Residence.

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In 1975, a range of historical plates was introduced to mark the bicentenary of Royal Copenhagen Porcelain. To celebrate the anniversary itself, one shows a painter at work on a vase and includes the three wavy lines as well as the Danish crown.




Other designs followed, celebrating both national and international events. One of the first depicted radio equipment in recognition of 50 years of' Denmarks Radio'. Subsequent versions were manufactured in 1976 for the Innbruck Winter Olympics and Montreal Olympics. That same year, The Declaration of Congress appeared to mark 200 years of the United States of America but a return to Denmark's achievements was chosen for 1977.




Everything is hand-painted with the addition of some spraying. Individual painters are allowed considerable scope in interpreting the designs.