The first dinner service made by the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory was given the name “Blue Fluted” and dates from 1775. The delicate blue motif was regarded as the standard for high-quality porcelain in Europe. Today, Royal Copenhagen is the only manufacturer that still paints that motif by hand. A second milestone was the creation of “Flora Danica”, the dinner service that is considered to be the most luxurious in the world. Production of the series took 12 years. Of the original 1,802 pieces of the first Flora Danica dinner service, 1,530 still exist today.

A century later, Royal Copenhagen garnered considerable interest at the World Exhibition in Paris with its underglaze technique, which allowed landscapes and other subjects to be painted on porcelain with a depth effect. F.A. Hallin created the first Christmas plate with this effect in 1895. At around the same time, Fanny Garde developed her Seagull dinner service in the new Art Nouveau style. A few generations later, this service came to be regarded as the Danish national dinner service. Gerhard Henning created a new rage with his delicate, almost exaggeratedly decorated sculptures in an Oriental fairy-tale style. The famous “Princess on the Pea”, a 45-cm high sweets jar, originated from his hand. It is generally regarded as the finest example of European porcelain of its time, and it is still made today to order.

In recent years, Royal Copenhagen has focused on introducing tableware for everyday use that combines innovative forms with respect for the old traditions. The Ursula and Ole dinner services are good examples of this new direction.