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History of Royal Copenhagen

The Royal Copenhagen company was founded in 1775 and has been operating continuously since then. It was one of the first European companies to manufacture porcelain. Today, it's considered one of the world's most prestigious manufacturers.

Founding
- 'Den Kongeligt Privilegerede Porcelainsfabrik' ("The Royal Chartered Porcelain Manufactory") was founded in 1775 by chemist Frantz Heinrich Muller. He had been given a royal monopoly to create porcelain, and the first pieces manufactured were dining pieces for the Danish Royal Family.
Royal ownership
- By 1779, the company's finances had become a mess. Danish King Christian VII took direct responsibility, renaming it "The Royal Danish Porcelain Manufactory." In 1868, the company was re-privatized, and it was bought by Danish pottery company Aluminia in 1882.
Lord Nelson
- After defeating a Danish-Norwegian fleet off Copenhagen in 1801, legendary British admiral Lord Horatio Nelson landed in the city to open negotiations. While he was there, he visited the Royal Copenhagen factory and bought "porcelain costing the equivalent of employing 16 maids for a year," according to RoyalCopenhagen.com
Logo
- Royal Copenhagen's logo is a crown above three wavy lines. The crown signifies the company's original royal charter; the three wavy lines symbolize Denmark's three straits, Oresund, the Great Belt and the Little Belt.
Famous Designs
- The "Flora Danica" design has been in production since 1790. It was first commissioned by the King of Denmark for Queen Catherine the Great of Russia. It consisted of 1,802 hand-painted pieces and took twelve years to make. A second set was made for the 1863 wedding between Princess Alexandra of Denmark and the man who would later become England's King Edward VII.

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