Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain — Text and Context

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Authors: Hayden, Arthur, 1868-1946 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2015 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Pottery -- Marks; Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik; Copenhagen porcelain; Pottery, Danish; Pottery -- Collectors and collecting Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 49,128

Reading time 214 min

Text sections 8

The catalog record for Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain — Text and Context provides practical reading context through 49,128 words, 3 hr 34 min estimated reading time, and 8 detected text sections.

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Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Pottery -- Marks,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #48391

An examination of the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Factory's history, focusing on structural shifts between periods, recurring motifs like blue-and-white ware and national imagery, and the movement from classicism to a Danish national style in ceramic art.

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Title & short description10 pts
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Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
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File: pg48391

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I. THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE COPENHAGEN FACTORY 19 THE FOURNIER PERIOD. SOFT PASTE PORCELAIN (1760-1766)

II. FRANTZ HEINRICH MÜLLER (1773-1801) 41 QUEEN JULIANE MARIE PERIOD (PART I, 1775-1780)

III. FRANTZ HEINRICH MÜLLER (1773-1801)--_continued_ 73 QUEEN JULIANE MARIE PERIOD (PART II, 1780-1796)

IV. FIGURE SUBJECTS AND GROUPS (1780-1820) 111

V. THE _FLORA DANICA_ SERVICE (1790-1802) 137 MADE FOR CATHERINE II, EMPRESS OF RUSSIA

VI. EARLY BLUE-AND-WHITE UNDERGLAZE PAINTED 157

VII. THE SUCCESSORS OF MÜLLER (1820-1880) 177 THE DECADENCE

VIII. THE MODERN RENAISSANCE 199

IX. FIGURE SUBJECTS AND GROUPS--RENAISSANCE PERIOD 263

X. CRYSTALLINE GLAZES 289

XI. COPENHAGEN ART FAIENCE 307

XII. THE FACTORY TO-DAY 333

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

LADY AND GENTLEMAN DANCING. OLD COPENHAGEN FIGURE GROUP _Frontispiece_

CHAPTER I.--EARLY HISTORY OF THE COPENHAGEN FACTORY. Groups. Fournier Period (1760-1766). Soft-paste Porcelain 25 Vase. Fournier Period (1760-1766). Soft-paste Porcelain 33

CHAPTER II.--FRANTZ HEINRICH MÜLLER (Part I, 1775-1780). Portrait of Frantz Heinrich Müller 41 Vase with medallion portrait of Queen Juliane Marie 45 Vase with medallion portrait of Crown Prince Frederik 49 Tea and Coffee Service 53 Saucer. Eagle and Lamb 57 Saucer. Water-god 61 Coffee Cups. Rose and spray of flowers: Group of cavalry 65 Cup with Frantz Heinrich Müller in his Laboratory 69

CHAPTER III.--FRANTZ HEINRICH MÜLLER (Part II, 1780-1796). Sucrier with Cover and Cup 81 Pastille Burner and Cover 89 Octagonal Dish. Man with Hound 93 Tray with oval panel 97

CHAPTER IV.--FIGURE SUBJECTS AND GROUPS (1780-1820). Statuette of a Hero. 1780 115 Two Figures of Sea Horses 119 Figure Group with Cupid 123 Figures. Old Woman; Man playing Flute 127 Figures. Market Woman and Lobster-seller 131 Figures. Naval and Military Uniform 133

CHAPTER V.--THE _FLORA DANICA_ SERVICE (1790-1802). Fish Dish and Drainer 145 Cruet Stand and Tray 151

CHAPTER VI.--EARLY BLUE-AND-WHITE UNDERGLAZE PAINTED. Group of Underglaze blue painted (Bornholm period) 161 Early Blue-and-white Plates (Danish pattern) 163 Teapot and Tea Caddies 167 Dish and two Plates 169

CHAPTER VII.--THE SUCCESSORS OF MÜLLER (1820-1880). Bowl. Battle of Copenhagen 181 Cup. Kronborg Castle and Shipping in Sound 185 Plate. Painted with Flower Subject 189 Figure of Mercury, after Thorvaldsen 193

CHAPTER VIII.--THE MODERN RENAISSANCE. Placque. Wild Geese on Ice (_Arnold Krog_) 203 Placque. Autumnal Scene (_Arnold Krog_) 207 Placques. Kestrel (_V. Th. Fischer_); Meadow with Farmhouse (_C. F. Liisberg_) 211 Placques. Birds (_V. Th. Fischer_); Cow in meadow (_G. Rode_) 217 Placque. With Lake Scene (_C. F. Liisberg_) 221 Placque. Snow Scene with Setting Sun (_A. Smidth_) 227 Placque. Geese and Landscape (_C. F. Liisberg_) 231 Vases. With Waterfowl (_V. Th. Fischer_ and _C. F. Liisberg_) 239 Memorial Commemorative Placque, Ribe Cathedral (_A. Krog_) 243 Dessert Plate, blue-and-white, with Danish pattern 249

CHAPTER IX.--FIGURE SUBJECTS AND GROUPS (RENAISSANCE PERIOD). Figure. Woman and Cow (_Chr. Thomsen_) 271 Figure. Boy and Calf (_Chr. Thomsen_) 275 Figures of Peasants. Child and Old Woman (_Chr. Thomsen_) 279 Figure Group. From Hans Christian Andersen's Story of "Princess and Swineherd" (_Chr. Thomsen_) 285

CHAPTER X.--CRYSTALLINE GLAZES. Figure Group. Polar Bears on an Ice Floe (_C. E. Bonnesen_ and _V. Engelhardt_) 293 Figure Subject. Frog imbedded in Ice (_A. Krog_ and _V. Engelhardt_) 297 Vases. (_A. Krog_ and _V. Engelhardt_) 299 Vases. Crystalline Glaze (_V. Engelhardt_) 303

CHAPTER XI.--COPENHAGEN ART FAIENCE. Dish with tropical bird (_Christian Joachim_) 307 Placque with parrot (_Christian Joachim_) 311 Vase with floral decoration 315 Vase--hexagonal--with floral and arabesque decoration 319 Figures. _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ 323 Figures. Clown, Columbine, and Harlequin 327 Boxes and Vase 331

CHAPTER XII.--THE FACTORY TO-DAY. Courtyard of Factory, showing Turkey with Brood 337 Interior, showing Studios of Lady Artists 341

THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE COPENHAGEN FACTORY

THE FOURNIER PERIOD SOFT-PASTE PORCELAIN (1760-1766)

THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE COPENHAGEN FACTORY

_THE FOURNIER PERIOD_ (1760-1766)

Establishment of porcelain factories in Europe--The German School and the French School--Hard paste--Soft paste--The new ceramic art--The great secret--The secret divulged--The first porcelain in Denmark.

In order to understand the initial stages in the history of the manufacture of porcelain in Denmark, it is necessary to review the peculiar conditions in which china factories existed in the eighteenth century. At the middle of the century there were two great schools, the German and the French. The former made hard or true porcelain according to the formula of Meissen, and the latter made soft or artificial porcelain in the manner of St. Cloud.

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Arthur Hayden structures Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain as a chronological survey punctuated by sharp transitions between artistic periods. The narrative moves from the factory's founding through a mid-century decline, then into a modern renaissance, with each phase marked by distinct technical and stylistic choices. Hayden repeatedly highlights the tension between imported classicism and emerging national sentiment, a theme that recurs across chapters.

The book's structure mirrors this shift: early chapters dwell on marks and factory organization, while later ones emphasize painterly effects and natural motifs. This movement from cataloging to interpretation gives the work a dual character—part reference manual, part art history.

From Blue-and-White to National Imagery

Hayden traces a recurring visual thread: the factory's early blue-and-white ware, utilitarian yet refined, gives way to more ambitious painted scenes. He notes that even in the factory's doldrums, the blue-and-white line persisted, keeping the kilns alight. Later, artists like L. Lyngbe painted plates with Danish landmarks—Söroe, the Eton of Denmark, and Prince's Palace—using rich gilding by Brandstrup. These pieces mark a pivot from generic decoration to specific national identity.

The author observes that the border of one experimental plate carries three distinct gilded patterns, suggesting the factory used such pieces as test beds for technique. This attention to detail—a plate's border, a painter's initial—grounds the broader narrative in concrete objects.

The Thorvaldsen Interlude and Its Limits

In 1867, under director Holm, the factory began producing biscuit figures after Thorvaldsen, the Danish sculptor. Hayden reproduces the figure of Mercury as an example, but he is measured in his praise. He writes that while these pieces offer a miniature gallery of Thorvaldsen's work, they represent a "decadent note" because modellers sought inspiration elsewhere, not from their own creativity.

This section illustrates a structural pattern: Hayden often presents a revival or innovation, then qualifies it. The Thorvaldsen figures are beautiful replicas, but they add nothing to the factory's creative faculty. The author's critical eye keeps the narrative from becoming mere celebration.

The Flickering Flame and the Turn Homeward

Hayden describes the factory's low point with a striking image: "The flame had not gone out, but it was flickering fitfully." This metaphor recurs as he charts the artistic impulses stirring in Denmark. He cites historian Höyen's 1844 lecture on developing a national Scandinavian art, which turned artists away from Rome toward Danish subjects—peasants, fisher-folk, beech-woods.

Painters like Skovgaad, who favored the "cold pale day of the northern sky," and Kroyer, who surrounded the Danish people with mystery, are invoked as parallels to what ceramic artists would soon achieve. Hayden structures this section as a prelude to the modern renaissance, showing how national sentiment built across media before reaching porcelain.

The Renaissance and Its New Technique

Chapter VIII opens with the factory's rebuilding under Philip Schou and the appointment of Arnold Krog as art director. Hayden emphasizes that a new technique was developed, one that avoided classic or stereotyped styles. The Copenhagen porcelain of this period, he argues, added a new note to European ceramic art, driven by intense national sentiment.

The author notes that most English porcelain factories had closed by the 1870s, making Copenhagen's revival all the more significant. He includes marks of leading painters and modellers, a practical feature that balances the historical narrative. This section exemplifies how Hayden moves between broad art-historical claims and specific, usable information for collectors.

Hayden's book rewards readers who attend to its structure: the movement from marks to aesthetics, from decline to renaissance, mirrors the factory's own journey. The recurring images—blue-and-white, national landscapes, flickering flames—give coherence to a story that spans more than a century. Readers interested in how ceramic art reflects broader cultural shifts will find this a focused, evidence-driven account.

There’s something about the way that book traced the quiet shift in porcelain—from stiff classicism to a warmer, Danish way of seeing—that stayed with me, like a room you keep picturing after leaving it. It reminded me of the gentle lingering I felt with Winchester: A Sketch-Book — Key Ideas to Explore, where place and mood blur softly, and you’re left holding a feeling rather than facts.