historical stuff
Oct 19, 2023
Museum Feature: Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted
The Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Company has been producing china and collectibles for more than 245 years. Blue Fluted, their iconic first pattern was introduced in 1775 and is still being produced today. Uniquely characteristic to the pattern is that it is hand-painted in a free-hand style. This means that the artist painting the piece does not use a template or outline when painting the design. Royal Copenhagen uses blue in many of its designs. The color blue signifies wealth, calmness, imagination, inspiration and sensitivity. Artists in the past would pay large sums for blue paint with the truest blue being cobalt blue, dating as far back as 2600 BC. The ancient Egyptians and other civilizations used cobalt blue to decorate glassware and pottery. This is the same blue color used in the Blue Fluted service. Royal Copenhagen’s blue pigment is called cobalt zinc silicate. Every piece of Blue Fluted bears the artist’s unique mark in blue on the back stamp.
On the Blue Fluted Full Lace, the lace-like appearance around the edge is also hand pierced. There are two other versions of Blue Fluted. Half lace which has a lace like border that is not pierced, and Blue Fluted Plain having no lace at all. Each piece is marked on the base in green with the pattern number, in this case #1, and a unique piece type number. Over the centuries there have been approximately 2000 different piece types made in Blue Fluted.
This stately #1006 candleholder from the Blue Fluted Full Lace pattern shown here is an exceptionally rare find. The back stamp on the bottom dates this candelabra to 1964. This piece is uncommon because of the rare flesh-colored cherubs that appear on the stem. This candelabra is #1006. Therefore, the mark on the base is 1/1006.
Throughout its history, Royal Copenhagen has worked to preserve the tradition of hand painted craftsmanship. The company’s artists believe that hand painting, more than any other decorating technique, ensures that each porcelain piece will have a unique character.
