A SET OF TWELVE ROYAL COPENHAGEN FLORA DANICA PORCELAIN PLATES

拍品描述

A SET OF TWELVE ROYAL COPENHAGEN FLORA DANICA PORCELAIN PLATES SECOND HALF 20TH CENTURY Each with a named botanical specimen, titled in black on the reverse, each marked to underside with wave marks in underglaze blue, factory marks stencilled in green, painters' marks and numerals in green 23cm diameter 'Flora Danica' was initially the work of Georg Christian Oeder, head of the Royal Botanical Institution in Copenhagen. King Frederik the 5th of Denmark had requested that a record be made- a complete botanical encyclopaedia of Danish plants. Under Oeder's control, 10 booklets each with 60 copper prints, were published between 1761-1771. This project continued over the next 100 years and in the end the 'Flora Danica' comprised 3240 depictions and descriptions of flowers and plants organized in 51 booklets (plus 3 supplement booklets). The transcription of these illustrations to porcelain came in the late 18th century when King Christian VII of Denmark (1749-1808) commissioned the Royal Danish Porcelain Manufactory (now known as Royal Copenhagen) to create a dinner service for 100 settings decorated after the illustrations. The service was to be a gift for Empress Catherine the Great of Russia- a gift of reconciliation the King wished to present after Denmark withdrew their support for the Russian armies in the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790. Johann Christoph Bayer (1738-1812), an artist who had worked on the illustrations for the books, was hired to paint the porcelain pieces and it is thought that he single-handedly painted 1,802 pieces of porcelain before production was completed in 1802. However, by the time the service was ready, Catherine the Great had died. The service stayed in Denmark, where it became a national treasure, used by the Royal family on important state occasions and displayed in at Rosenborg Castle, Christiansborg Castle, and Amalienborg Palace. In 1863, Royal Copenhagen decided to revive the pattern and in keeping with the original Flora Danica service, each piece of porcelain was painstakingly hand-moulded, gilded and decorated. Success followed swiftly and the factory continues to produce this pattern in the same way today.

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