Hand-painted blue lines tell a design story; a story of a timeless aesthetic that has inspired all other Royal Copenhagen tableware patterns. Have a look.
Reconsidered and painted onto new shapes and in new colors mirroring current and everchanging social trends. Yet still forever enchanting in its original expression. 247 years of style heritage and still today, the classic blue floral pattern is produced just as it was centuries ago, each piece of porcelain treated as a piece of art, carefully painted by hand.
Historical Tableware Style as a Design Inspiration
The history of table-setting illustrates how rituals, political and social change, and fashion trends shape our culture and habits; what we eat but also how we serve our food. With the dinner table being a focal point for formal and informal social gatherings, we put effort into beautiful and inviting table settings making room for making new memories with friends and family.
For the Royal Copenhagen brand, its 247 years of artistic heritage is a testimony of ever-changing fashions and an endless catalog of inspiration for new design items and new tableware collections meeting current and new consumers.
The Heritage of Blue Fluted Plain
Being the first-ever pattern from Royal Copenhagen, the heritage of Blue Fluted Plain (in the cover photo) is still filled with treasures to be reinterpreted and reintroduced. An elegant board is reintroduced to the Blue Fluted Plain family based on a shape from the beginning of the 20th century. Today, the board can also be used as a beautiful trivet or for small servings bringing elegance to any table setting whether formal or informal.
Social sharing of foods has again become a way we connect around a dining table, and the new boards in Elements are ideal for just that; classic but with informal elegance. Playing with parts of classic Royal Copenhagen dinnerware in a subtle yet distinctive way, Elements respects the rules of the game just enough to bend them slightly, setting free the craftsmanship, patterns, and distinctive marks of Royal Copenhagen. To take on a new life, and new shapes.
The new board in White Elements and a smaller version in Multicolored Elements, hand-painted in turquoise, are no exception. These serving pieces challenge and elevate the traditional way of presenting food, and are great for desserts, or appetizers.
The art of setting a table is sometimes to keep it simple and let eye-catching pieces stand out – such as the White Fluted long oval dish. A versatile serving item, the large dish is also a beautiful centerpiece on its own, and the oval shape allows the dish to blend in beautifully with both modern and classic table settings.
Blue Fluted Mega – Stylish Reinterpretation of the Original Pattern from the Year 1775
The series, which was created as a tribute to Royal Copenhagen’s legendary Blue Fluted Plain pattern, has long since become a classic in its own right. Blue Fluted Mega was created by designer and ceramicist Karen Kjældgård-Larsen as a bold reinterpretation of the original pattern from 1775. Started as a school project at the Danish School of Design, Blue Fluted Mega has taken its place in Danish design history – and naturally extends the Scandinavian tradition of balancing aesthetics and functionality.
The idea of enlarging and twisting the familiar blue, hand-painted pattern was the brainchild of designer Karen Kjældgård-Larsen, who throughout her life was fascinated by the blue-painted porcelain. Like many other Danes, the designer regards Blue Fluted Plain as an integral part of the cultural heritage. Something that all Danes have a relationship to, is in many homes in larger or smaller collections, and that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Karen Kjældgård-Larsen designed Blue Fluted Mega while studying at the Danish Design School. She challenged and evolved the beautifully painted floral motifs by enlarging the pattern, and making some thoughtful modifications before painting them on the porcelain. Although it was a creative initiative, Karen Kjældgård-Larsen was merely continuing a tradition of product development that has been important in the history of Royal Copenhagen.
Ever since the first flower was painted in 1775, it has been reimagined and reinterpreted. In fact, the design first found its ‘final’ expression in 1885. And this is just one of several examples of how each detail in the legendary pattern tells its very own story. It’s these stories that Karen Kjældgård has questioned and reinterpreted.
Artistic History of Blue-Painted Porcelain
- The Blue Fluted Plain pattern came to the world in 1775 as Royal Copenhagen’s first series. It was revised by Creative Director Arnold Krog in 1885.
- Pattern No. 1 was inspired by Japanese and Chinese cultures and porcelain. With its elegant chrysanthemums and cinquefoils, this blue-painted collection marked the beginning of an innovative and timeless tradition.
- Royal Copenhagen paints both Blue Fluted Plain and Blue Fluted Mega with cobalt blue color. The intense blue color dates back to the year 2600 BC, and it was found on Egyptian pottery.
- Royal Copenhagen’s blue color is called Cobalt Zinc Silicate. It is easy to work with and can withstand high temperatures during firing.
- The blue color is applied to many of Royal Copenhagen’s decorations. The porcelain is hand-painted with great accuracy. It takes several years to learn a blue painter the delicate craftsmanship.
- The blue painter puts his signature under each porcelain part, which is also marked with Royal Copenhagen’s 3 wave lines, which symbolize Denmark’s main waterways the Great Belt, Little Belt, and the Sound.
- As previously mentioned, Blue Fluted Mega was designed by ceramicist and designer Karen Kjældgård-Larsen. The first parts – six different plates – were presented in the year 2000. Despite its obvious modernity, Blue Fluted Mega is rooted in the heritage of Royal Copenhagen.
About the Brand
Demonstrating a passion for gifts since 1775, Royal Copenhagen is the natural home of objects with cachet for both the style-conscious and lovers of tradition.
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