Flora Danica porcelain dinner set by Royal Copenhagen

The porcelain dinner service is comprised of eighteen pieces, including sixteen plates, a large oval serving dish with a strainer, and a covered circular bowl. Each item is decorated with gilt beads and a repeated foliate pattern. The centre of the plates and the lid of the bowl feature detailed, naturalistic paintings of fish, accompanied by water plants. The fish are identified by inscriptions on the undersides of the pieces. Both the bowl lid and strainer are fitted with a handle, the former modelled as a flowering branch, and the latter taking the form of a white fish.

This dinner service bears the marks of the famous Royal Copenhagen Factory. The company was founded in the late 18th Century by the chemist, Frantz Heinrich Müller, with the financial support of the Danish royal family. This set is styled after the famous ‘Flora Danica’ service, which was created by the firm for Catherine II of Russia. The set was comprised of an impressive 1,802 items, ranging from small egg cups to grand tureens, dishes and plates. These pieces had gilt borders and central paintings of wild flowers, copied from illustrations in a book of Danish flora. The items in this service are signed 'Royal Copenhagen Denmark' on their reverse.

Plates: Height 3.5cm, diameter 26cm
Large dish with strainer: Height 4.5cm, width 47cm, depth 36cm
Covered bowl: Height 17cm, diameter 24cm