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BOOKS    FOR   COLLECTORS 

M^'itk  Frontispieces  and  many  "Illustrations 
Large  Crown  8vo,  cloth. 

CHATS   ON    ENGLISH    CHINA. 

By   AKTHIR    HAVUKN. 

CHATS    ON    OLD    FURNITUIE. 

By  Akthir  Haydex. 

CHATS    ON    OLD    PRINTS. 

(How  to  collect  and  value  Old  £n8:ravins:6.) 

Hy  Arthur  hayden. 

CHATS    ON    COSTUME. 

By  G.  WOOLLIi-CROFT  Rhead. 

CHATS    ON    OLD    LACE    AND    NEEDLEWORK. 

By  E.  L.  Lowes. 

CHATS    ON    ORIFNTAL    CHINA. 

By  J.  F.  Bl-ACKKR. 

CHATS   ON    OLD    MINIATURES. 

By  J.  J.  Foster.  K.SA.  / 

CHATS  ON  ENGLISH  EARTHENWARE. 

(Companion  volume  to  "  Chats  on  English  China.") 
.    By  Arthlr  Hayden. 

CHATS    ON    AUTOGRAPHS. 

By  A.  M.  Bkoauley. 

CHATS    ON    PEWTER. 

By  H    J.  L.  i    Masse.  MA. 

CHATS    ON    POSTAGE    STAMPS. 

By   FRi  D.  J    Mki.vili.e 

CHATS    ON    OLD    JEWELLERY    AND    TRINKETS 

By  MacIvek  Pkrcival. 

CHATS  ON   COTTAGE  AND  FARMHOUSE  FURNITURE. 

(Comp.mion  volume  to  '•  Chats  on  Old  Furniture.") 
By  Arthl'R  Havde.\. 

CHATS    ON    OLD    COINS. 

By    FRED.    \V.   BL'KUESS. 

CHATS    ON    OLD    COPPER    AI>^D    BRASS. 

By  Freu.  W.  Blk(;i  ss. 

CHATS    ON    HOUSEHOLD    CURIOS. 

By  Fred.  \V.  BiRGhs:;. 

CHATS  ON   OLD  SILVER. 

By  ARTHUR   Hayhen. 

CHATS    ON    JAPANESE    PRINTS. 

By  Arthur  Davison  Ficke. 

CHATS  ON   MILITARY   CURI05. 

By  Si  a.m. E.   C.  Johnmi.v. 

CHATS   ON   OLD   Ci  OCKS. 

By  Akthi  r  Havden. 

LONDON:  T.   FISHER    UNWIN,  LTD. 
NEW  YORK:    F.    A.    STOKES   COMPANY. 


CHATS  ON  ROYAL 

COPENHAGEN 

PORCELAIN 


•  t  t,      * 


■       • 


OLD  COPENHAGEN   FIGURE   GROUP. 

Lady  and  gentleman  in  contemporary  costume. 


Frontispiece. 


Chats  on 

Royal  Copenhagen 

Porcelain 


ARTHUR    HAYDEN 

KNieHT  OF  THE   DANNBBROG 

AUTHOR  OF 
CHATS  OX  ENGLISH  CHINA,"  "CHATS  ON  OLD  PRINTS,"  ETC. 


WITH  FRONTISPIECE  and  56  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 

TOGETHER   WITH 

ILLUSTRATED  TABLES  OF  MARKS 


LONDON 

i   I  1  -  I  i  K  K  U  N  W  IN  I.  1  U 

ADELPHI  TERRACE 


[All  rights  resen-ed) 


TO 

WILLIAM    PETERSEN,    Esq. 

AS   A   TOKEN   OF   APPRECIATION   OF   HIS 

PATRIOTISM   AND   GENEROSITY 

IN  FURTHERING  THE   INTERESTS   OF   ART 

AND    STIMULATING    ANGLO-DANISH    FRIENDSHIP. 


96i059 


PREFACE 

"  A  GOOD  wine  needs  no  bush  "  is  an  old  English, 
proverb,  and  this  is  essentially  true  in  regard 
to  the  art  of  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain 
Factory.  The  late  M.  Louis  Solon,  in  preparing 
his  colossal  bibliographic  work  on  Ceramic 
Literature,  called  my  attention  to  the  curious 
fact  that  a  small  pamphlet  (some  four  and  a 
half  by  five  inches  square,  of  fourteen  pages) 
written  by  me  originally  for  the  Artist  maga- 
zine in  1902,  and  reprinted  as  a  guide  to  the 
Royal  Copenhagen  porcelain  exhibit  at  the  Wolver- 
hampton Exhibition  in  1902,  was  marked  "  rare  " 
•and  being  sold  to  collectors  for  five  shillings. 
M.  Solon,  with  his  usual  perspicacity,  added :  '*  It 
looks  as  though,  in  its  course  from  East  to  West, 
ceramic  painting  has  deserted  its  old  home  to 
take  refugie  in  the  North.  C'est  du  Nord  aujour- 
d'hui  que  nous  vient  la  lumiere  !  " 

In  19 II,  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain  :  Its 
History  and  Development  from  the  Eighteenth 
Century  to  the  Present  Day  was  issued  by  my 
publisher,  who  in  bringing  out  this  sumptuous 
monograph  fell  under  the  spell  of  the  beauty  of 
Copenhagen  art.  That  volume  appealed  to  con- 
noisseurs and  collectors  and  was  welcomed  both 
here,  on  the  Continent,  and  in  America. 


10 


PREFACE 


It  has  been  thought  desirable,  in  view  of  the 
limited  circulation  of  that  volume,  to  issue  a 
popular  edition,  which  is  here  presented  in  a 
shghtly  abridged  form  with  none  of  the  essentials 
omitted.  Many  of  the  illustrations  have  not 
found  their  way  into  this  gallery.  But  a  brave 
array  of  pictures  is  given  to  convey  to  the  general 
reader,  and  to  those  who  have  not  perused  the 
larger  volume,  the  chief  characteristics  of  Royal 
Copenhagen  porcelain,  and  indicate  reasons  why 
this  factory  is  now  regarded  as  the  leading  factory 
in  Europe. 

How  many  of  the  great  factories  of  the  world 
can  claim  two  great  epochs  in  their  history  ?  But 
Copenhagen  can  do  this.  The  first  is  the  Miiller 
period  (overglaze  decoration),  when  the  factqi-y 
assumed  its  well-known  mark,  in  1775,  of  the 
three  blue  lines  indicating  the  three  waterways 
of  Denmark — the  Sound  and  the  Great  and  Little 
Belts.  The  second  great  period,  the  Modem 
Renaissance  (underglaze  decoration),  practically 
commenced  in  1885. 

The  porcelain  of  this  factory  has  long  been 
held  in  high  esteem.  Admiral  Nelson  in  1801, 
when  with  the  British  fleet  outside  Copenhagen, 
wrote  to  Lady  Hamilton,  "  I  was  in  hopes  to 
have  got  off  some  Copenhagen  china  to  have 
sent  you  "  ;  and  later,  "  As  I  know  you  have 
a  valuable  collection  of  china,  I  send  you  some 
of  the  Copenhagen  manufacture."  The  bowl 
made  ■  at   the   royal  factory  in    memory  of    the 


PREFACE  11 

brave  Danes  who  fell  in  the  battle  of  Copenhagen 
is  herein  illustrated. 

The  Encyclopcedia  Britannica  (nth  Edition), 
1911  (article  on  Ceramics),  awards  a  high  place 
to  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory,  "  the  pro- 
ductions of  which  are  not  only  famous  all  over 
the  world,  but  have  set  a  new  style  in  porcelain 
decoration  which  is  being  followed  at  most  of 
the  continental  factories." 

At  the  present  time  museums  and  private 
collectors  in  this  country  and  in  various  parts 
of  the  world  are  acquiring  Royal  Copenhagen 
porcelain  on  account  of  its  artistic  character. 

Ordinary  collectors  of  porcelain  have  always 
been  desirous  of  selecting  a  subject  which  has  not 
been  exploited.  The  Worcester  vase  which  to- 
day brings  two  thousand  guineas  at  Christie's 
was  once  bought  when  it  was  new  for  as  many 
shillings  by  some  person  who  recognized  its  beauty. 
But  in  regard  to  old  factories,  most  of  the  histories 
have  been  written  to  extol  their  work  when  the 
factory  had  closed  down  for  ever.  The  lack 
of  contemporary  records  of  English  porcelain 
is  particularly  noticeable.  It  is  as  though  the 
factories  attempted  to  hide  their  personalities, 
as  indeed  they  did  disguise  their  productions 
by  trade  signs  only  decipherable  by  the  inde- 
fatigable zeal  of  later  generations.  They  assumed 
pseudo-Chinese  marks  or  adopted  the  crossed 
L's  of  Sevres  and  the  crossed  swords  of  Meissen, 
to   the   confusion   of   collectors    a  hundred  years 


12 


PREFACE 


afterwards.  It  is  therefore  with  no  misgiving 
that  in  the  present  volume  modernity  receives 
due  consideration.  National  recognition  for  the 
artist  potter  comes,  alas  !   often  too  late. 

In  passing,  we  may  add  that  there  are  some 
wonderful  productions  being  made  in  England  to- 
day, especially  in  earthenware,  and  those  who  are 
buying  wisely  are  laying  down  wine  for  posterity. 

I  have  to  offer  my  renewed  thanks  to  the 
various  museum  authorities,  mainly  in  Scandinavia, 
and  to  private  collectors  and  friends  who  were 
duly  acknowledged  in  my  larger  volume  as  being 
instrumental  in  affording  me  access  to  data  on 
a  new  subject. 

In  that  work,  although  the  omission  was  cor- 
rected in  the  German  edition  published  at  Leipsic 
in  1912,  various  notes  were  embodied  and  re- 
main in  the  pr-esent  volume,  which  were  supplied 
to  me  by  correspondents  without  any  knowledge 
on  my  part  that  they  were  based  on  the  work  of 
Professor  Nyrop  of  Copenhagen,  who  has  made 
assiduous  research  into  the  history  of  the  old 
Copenhagen  factory,  and  to  whom,  therefore, 
a  tribute  is  in  courteous  acknowledgment  ob- 
viously due. 

A  new  chapter  has  been  added  to  this  volume 
deahng  with  Copenhagen  Art  Faience,  the  char- 
acter of  which  ware  has  claimed  recognition  from 
competent  critics  throughout  Europe  and  in 
America  as  having  brought  a  new  note  into 
ceramic  art. 

ARTHUR    HAYDEN. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFACE  .  .  .  .  .  .9 

LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS  .  .  .  -15 

CHAPTER 

I.      THE     EARLY     HISTORY  OF    THE     COPENHAGEN 

FACTORY        .  .  .  .  -19 

THE      FOURNIER      PERIOD.       SOFT     PASTE      PORCELAIN 
(1 760-1766) 

II.      FRANTZ    HEINRICH    MULLER    (1773-1801)  .      41 

QUEEN   JULIANE  MARIE    PERIOD   (PART  I,    I775-I780) 


III.  FRANTZ   HEINRICH    MULLER    (1773-1801) — con- 

tinued .  .  .  .  -73 

QUEEN  JULIANE  MARIE   PERIOD   (PART   II,    I780-1796) 

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

V.      THE   FLORA    DANICA    SERVICE   (1790-1802)  .    1 37 

MADE  FOR  CATHERINE   II,   EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA 

VI.      EARLY  BLUE-AND-WHITE  UNDERGLAZE  PAINTED    157 

VII.      THE   SUCCESSORS   OF   MULLER    (182O-1880)         .    177 
THE  DECADENCE 


VIII.      THE   MODERN    RENAISSANCE         .  .  .    199 

13  • 


u 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

IX.      FIGURE    SUBJECTS.  XnD    GROUPS — RENAISSANCE 

PERIOD  .....   263 


X.      CRYSTALLINE   GLAZES 
XI.      COPENHAGEN  ART   FAIENCE 
XII.      THE   FACTORY  TO-DAY     . 

INDEX 


.    289 

•  333 

•  347 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

Lady  a\d  Gentleman  dancing.    Old  Copenhagen  Figure 
Group  .....  Frontispiece 


PAGE 

Chapter  I. — Early  History  of  the  Copenhagen  Factory. 

Groups.  Fournier  Period  (1760-1766).  Soft-paste  Porcelain     25 
Va^e.     Fournier  Period  (1760-1766).    Soft-paste  Porcelain    33 


Chapter  II.— Fraxtz  Heinrich  MCller  (Part  I,  177 5-1780). 

Portrait  of  Frantz  Heinrich  Miiller  .  .  -41 

Vase  with  medallion  portrait  of  Queen  Juliane  Marie  .     45 

Vase  with  medallion  portrait  of  Crown  Prince  Frederik     .     49 
Tea  and  Coffee  Service         .  .         -   .  .  .53 

Saucers.     Eagle  and  Lamb  ;  Water-god       .  .  .61 

Coffee  Cups.   Rose  and  spray  of  flowers  :  Group  of  cavalry    65 
Cup  with  Frantz  Heinrich  Miiller  in  his  Laboratory  .    69 


Chapter  III.— Frantz  Heinrich MUller (Part  II,  1780-1796) 

Sucrier  with  Cover  and  Cup  .... 
Pastille  Burner  and  Cover    .... 
Octagonal  Dish.     Man  with  Hound  . 
Tray  with  oval  panel  .... 

Chapter  IV.— Figure  Subjects  and  Groups  (1780-1820), 

Satuette  of  a  Hero,     1780      . 
Two  Figures  of  J>ea  Horses  . 
Figure  Group  with  Cupid 
Figures.    Old  Woman  ;  Man  playing  Flute 
Figures.     Market  Woman  and  Lobster-seller 
Figures.     Naval  and  Military  Uniform 
15 


81 
89 
93 
97 


IIS 
119 
123 
127 
131 
133 


16 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Chapter  V.— The  Flora  Danica  Service  {1790-1802). 

Fish  Dish  and  t)rainer  .... 

Cruet  Stand  and  Tray  .... 


14s 
151 


Blue  -  and  -  white       Underglaze 


Chapter  VI.— Early 
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  MCller  (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  Qeese  on  Ice  {Arnold  Krog)  .  .203 

Placque.    Autumml  S(Xne  (A  mold  Krog)     .  .  .207 

Placques.     Kestrel  (F.  Th.  Fischer)  ;  Meadow  with  Farm- 
house (C.  F.  L«s6erj^)"  .  .  .  .  .211 

Placques.      Birds    (V.    Th.    Fischer) ;    Coy    in    meadow 
(G.Rode)      .  .  .  .  .  .  .217 

Placque.     With  Lake  Scene  (C.  F.  Lnsftcr^)  .  .221 

Placque.     Snow  Scene  with  Setting  Sun  {A.  Smidth)  .  227 

Placque.     Geese  and  Landscape  (C.  F.  Liisberg)      .  .231 

Vases.    With  Waterfowl  {V.  Th.  Fischer  smd  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,  Thomscn)  .  .  .  271 

Figure.     Boy  and  Calf  {Chr.  Thomscn)  .  .  .  275 

Figures  of  Peasants.  Child  and  Old  Woman  {Chr.  Thomsen)  279 
Figure  Group.     From  Hans  Christian  Andersen's  Story  of 
"  Princess  and  Swineherd"  {Chr.  Thomscn)  .  .  285 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  17 

PAOI 

Chapter  X.— Crystalline  Glazes. 

Figure    Group.    Polar    Bears    on    an    Ice    Floe    (C.    E. 

Bonnesen  and  V.  Engclkardi)  ....  293 
Figure   Subject.      Frog  imbedded  in   Ice  {A.  Krog  and 

V.  Engelhardt)         .....  297 

Vases.     {A.  Krog  znd  V.  Engelhardt)  .  .  .  299 

Vases.     Crystalline  Glaze  IV.  Engelhardt)     .  .  .  303 

Chapter  XL— Copenhagen  Art  Faience. 

Dish  with  tropical  birds  \Christian  Joachim)           .  .  307 

Placque  with  parrot  (C/imfzaw  yoacA/w)      .            .  •  3II 

Vase  with  floral  decoration    .            .            .            .  >  3'^S 

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  ']^rkey  with  Brood  .  337 

Interior,  showing  Studios  oftLady  Artists     .  ,  •341 


J 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  EARLY  HISTORY  OF 
THE  COPENHAGEN  FACTORY 

THE  FOURNIER  PERIOD 
SOFT-PASTE  PORCELAIN 

(1760-1766) 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  EARLY   HISTORY   OF  THE  COPEN- 
HAGEN  FACTORY 

THE  FOURNIER  PERIOD 
(i  760-1 766) 

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  Den- 
mark, 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. 

Hard     PastCi — The    impulse    of    the    Western 
potter    had    always    been    to    reproduce    exactly 


22    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


and  chemically  the  Oriental  porcelain.  Until 
the  first  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century  this 
had  not  been  achieved.  The  news  of  the  great 
discovery  by  Johann  Fredrich  Bottger,  in  1709, 
of  a  white  translucent  porcelain,  having  all  the 
characteristics  of  the  Chinese  ware,  ran  hke  a 
flame  throughout  Europe.  Translucent  porcelain 
may  be  either  what  is  termed  hard  paste  {pate 
dure),  containing  only  natural  elements  in  the 
composition  o  the  body  and  the  glaze  ;•  or  soft 
paste  (pate  tendre),  where  the  body  is  an  artificial 
combination  of  various  materials  used  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  natural  earths.  All  Chinese  or 
true  porcelain  is  of  the  hard-paste  variety.  The 
term  pate  tendre  really  applies  to  the  feeble  resist- 
ance of  this  artificial  porcelain  to  the  action  of 
a  high  temperature  as  compared  with  that  offered 
by  true  porcelain,  and  also  to  the  softness  of 
the  glaze,  which  can  be  scratched  by  steel. 

The  body  of  -  the  true  porcelain  is  essentially 
of  two  elements — the  white  clay  or  kaolin,  the 
infusible  element  which  may  be  said  to  be  the 
skeleton,  and  petuntse,  the  felspathic  stone,  which 
is  fusible  at  a  high  temperature,  which  may  be 
termed  the  flesh,  and  gives  transparency  to  the 
porcelain.  Of  the  two  Chinese  names,  which 
have  become  classical  since  they  were  adopted 
in  the  dictionary  of  the  French  Academy,  kaolin 
is  the  name  of  a  locality  where  the  best  porcelain 
earth  is  mined,  and  petuntse,  literally  "  white 
briquettes,"    refers   to   the   shape   in   which   the 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  FACTORY     23 

finely  pulverized  porcelain  stone  is  brought  to 
the  Chinese  potteries,  after  it  has  been  submitted 
to  the  preliminary  processes  of  pounding  and 
decantation.^  ' 

Soft  Paste. — The  artificial  porcelain,  which  was 
difficult  of  fabrication,  was  an  imitation  of  the 
true  Chinese  porcelain,  although  its  whiteness, 
its  translucency,  and  its  brilliant  glaze  have  all 
the  appearance  of  true  porcelain.  Kaolin  and 
petuntse  are  of  little  importance  in  the  composi- 
tion of  soft  porcelain.  Its  transparency  was 
obtained  by  the  addition  of  glass,  its  plasticity  by 
the  use  of  soapstone,  and  its  glaze  by  an  admixture 
of  siUca  and  lead.  Moreover,  the  composition 
of  artificial  porcelain  has  required  researches  and 
combinations  much  more  intricate,  than  those 
which  had  led  to, the  discovery  of  hard  porcelain, 
the  latter  being  produced  by  two  substances 
already  provided  by  nature. 

Imitative  porcelain  had  been  made  at  Florence 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany 
as  early  as  from  1568  to  1587,.  of  which  fahrique 
only  about  thirty  pieces  are  known.  France 
is  the  most  prolific  in  porcelain  factories  of  the 
pate  tendre,  as  it  came  afterwards  to  be  termed 
in  •  contradistinction  to  the  pate  dure  or  true 
porcelain  of  Meissen.  The  factory  at  St.  Cloud 
lasted  from  1695  till  1773.  Vincennes  was 
founded  in  1740,  and  was   finally  transferred  to 

^  Chinese  Art,  vol.  ii.  p.  16,  1906, -by  Stephen  W.  Bushell,  C.M.G. 
(late  Physician  to  H.M.  Legation,  Peking). 


24    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN    PORCELAIN 

Sevres  in  1756,  which  factory  stands  paramount  in 
its  porcelain,  known  to  collectors  as  vieux  Sevres, 

At  Nove,  near  Venice,  in  1752,  Pasqual  Antoni- 
bon  brought  from  Meissen  a  potter,  Sigismond 
Fischer,  to  construct  a  furnace  for  making  por- 
celain in  the  Saxon  style.  In  1761  there  were 
three  furnaces,  one  for  hard  paste  ad  uso 
Sassonia,  and  two  for  soft  paste  ad  uso  Francia.'^ 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  two  schools  had 
begun  to  run  side  by  side.  The  crowning  point 
was  in  1768,  when  the  Sevres  factory  com- 
menced to  make  hard  paste.  Both  bodies  were 
simultaneously  made  until  1804,  after  which  the 
manufacture  of  soft  porcelain  at  Sevres  was 
discontinued  by  M.  Brongniart.  In  1847,  the 
old  style  was  revived  by  his  successor,  M.  Edel- 
man  {Report  on  Pottery  at  the  Pdris  Exhibition  by 
M.  ArnouXy  1867). 

In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  manufacture 
of  soft  porcelain  is  beset  with  difficirlties  and 
uncertainties.  Its  artificial  composition  renders 
it  capricious  in  the  kiln.  In  connection  therefore 
with  the  modern  manufacture  of  Sevres  of  the 
old  pate  tendre  variety,  it  is  interesting  to  record 
that  in  the  late  eighties  the  original  formulae  of 
the  early  potters  were  used  in  an  attempt  to 
reproduce  the  old  body,  but  had,  after  repeated 
and  costly  failures,  to  be  abandoned  as  hopeless. 


'  Marks  and  Monograms  on  Pottery  and  Porcdain^  by  William 
Chaffers.  (Letter  from  Francesco  Antonibon  to  Lady  Charlotte 
Schreiber.) 


SUCKIER  AND   COVER. 
Fournier  period  (1760-1766).    Soft-paste  porcelain. 


DISH    AND   COVER    AND    CUSTARD    CUP. 
Fournier  period  (1760-1766).    Soft-paste  porcelain. 

{Af  Rosenborg  Castle^  Copenhagen.) 


EARLY  HISTORY   OF  THE  FACTORY     27 

In  regard  to  England,  it  is  interesting  to  note 
in  passing  that  the  old  porcelains  so  highly  prized 
by  collectors  are  all  artificial  with  the  exception 
of  Plymouth  (1768-1771),  Bristol  (1771-1781), 
followed  by  the  company  of  Staffordshire  potters 
at  New  Hall  who  bought  the  Bristol  factory 
patents,  although  Wedgwood  in  his  jasper  ware 
and  Staffordshire  salt  glazed  ware  are ,  fine  stone 
wares  which  approximate  to  true  porcelain. 

Our  soft-paste  factories  ar$  here  set  in  chrono- 
logical order:  Bow  (1745),  Chelsea  (1745),  Derby 
(175 1),  Worcester  (175 1),  Lowestoft  (1762),  Caugh- 
ley  (1772),  Pinxton  (1795),  Coalport  (1798),  Minton 
(1798).  It  should  be  observed  that  these,  as  do 
all  soft-paste  porcelains,  differ  in  body  in  an 
enormous  degree,  whereas  the  true  porcelain  differs 
in  a  minor  degree  whether  it  be  Canton  or  Meissen. 

It  was  only  for  fifty  years  that  the  English 
potters  used  the  capricious  body  of  the  glassy 
soft  porcelains  then  made.  Gradually,  by  experi- 
ment, the  standard  body  for  artificial  porcelain 
was  perfected  by  the  addition  of  bone-ash,  which 
has  been  adopted  since  the  late  eighteenth  century 
in  varying  forms  by  all  English  potters.  It  is 
more  related  to  true  porcelain,  and  is  as  safe  to 
manufacture  as  that  body,  and  at  a  lower  heat, 
but  it  retains  many  of  the  qualities  of  the  soft 
body.  The  painted  colours  melt  into  the  glaze 
in  its  final  firing  and  produce  that  mellow  effect 
so  much  esteemed  by  connoisseurs  of  old  porcelain. 
It   is    peculiarly  English,   and  stands  unique    in 


28      ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


having  technical  assets  not  possessed  by  any- 
other  porcelain.  This  is  something  great  to 
record  to  the  honour  of  the  English  potter  in  his 
mastery  of  technique. 

The  New  Ceramic  Art. — The  eighteenth  century, 
in  spite  of  the  wars  which  shook  the  kingdoms 
of  Europe  to  their  foundations,  showed  a  singular 
enthusiasm  for  the  art  of  the  potter.  A  reference 
to  a  table  of  the  factory  marks  of  European  porce- 
lain of  that  period  will  disclose  the  fact  that 
most  of  the  leading  factories  were  und^r  the 
auspices  of  royal  or  noble  patrons  whose  arms  or 
monograms  were  incorporated  in  the  mark  of  the 
factory. 

Kings,  princes,  electors,  grand  dukes,  and  mar- 
graves vied  with  each  other  in  producing  rival 
ware.  The  St.  Petersburg  factory  had  the  cipher 
of  the  Emperor  Paul.  At  Weesp,  in  Holland, 
Count  Gronsveldt-Diepenbroek's  factory,  the  works 
were  handed  over  to  the  direction  of  a  Protestant 
pastor.  From  Vienna  with  the  mark  of  the 
Austrian  arms,  to  La  Haye  with  the  design  of 
the  stork,  the  symbol  of  the  city  ;  from  the  arms 
of  the  Archbishop  of  Mayence  and  the  cross  and 
initials  of  the  Prince  Bishop  of  Fulda,  to  the 
design  of  Lille,  the  Manufacture  Roy  ale  de  Mon- 
seigneur  le  Dauphin  with  the  crowned  dolphin, 
a  bewildering  entanglement  of  royal  marks  and 
patrician  ciphers  is  studded  on  china,  to  the 
confusion  of  collectors,  adding  zest  to  the  art  of 
the  connoisseur. 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF   THE   FACTORY     29 

The  Great  Secret. — The  actual  discovery  of 
the  composition  of  true  porcelain  by  Bottger  i^ 
interwoven  with  romance,  and  the  betrayal  of 
the  secret  processes  of  its  manufacture  at  Meissen 
to  the  leading  factories  of  Europe  is  a  record 
filled  with  stirring  incidents  of  the  most  piquant 
character.  The  story  of  young  Bottger,  the 
alchemist  and  inventor,  is  told  in  full  by  Pro- 
fessor Ernst  Zimmermann,  Keeper  of  the  Royal 
Porcelain  Collection  at  Dresden,  Die  Erfindung 
und  Fruhzeit  des  Meissner  Porzellans,  Berlin, 
1908.  The  search  for  the  philosopher's  stone 
to  transmute  baser  metals  into  gold  had  fascinated 
all  chemists.  Bottger  was  credited  with  more 
knowledge  than  he  possessed,  and  he  hastily 
quitted  Berlin  to  avoid  the  too  assiduous  atten- 
tions of  the  King  of  Prussia.  For  years  he 
wandered  in  Sg^xony,  and  finally  claimed  pro- 
tection in  1701  from  Frederick  Augustus,  Elector 
of  Saxony.  His  life  at  the  laboratory  at  Meissen,' 
under  Ehrenfried  Walter  von  Tschirnhaus,  who 
was  a  distinguished  scientific  scholar,  was  that 
of  a  guarded  prisoner  with  a  wonderful  secret. 
Tschirnhaus,  who  was  a  good  chemist,  established 
a  glass  furnace  and  invented  an  ingenious  burning 
mirror,  and  had  essayed  to  make  porcelain.  But 
on  the  assumption  that  it  was  a  vitrification, 
his  results  only  led  him  to  the  production  of  a 
milky  glass.  A  specimen  of  this  milch  glass  is 
in  the  Japanese  Palace  at  Dresden. 

When  Charles  XII  of  Sweden  invaded  Saxony, 


30     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


Bottger  and  his  workmen  were  hurried  off  to 
the  impregnable  fortress  of  Konigstein,  where  a 
laboratory  was  erected.  A  year  later  he  was  back 
at  Meissen  conducting  experiments  and  cheer- 
fully exhorting  the  workmen.  In  1709  he  pro- 
duced his  true>hard  porcelain  from  natural  earth 
obtained  from  Aue,  near  Schneeberg. 

The  most  elaborate  precautions  were  taken  at 
Meissen  to  prevent  the  secret  becoming  known. 
The  earth  was  delivered  -  in  sealed  casks.  It 
was  in  vain  that  an  oath  was  exacted  from  each 
workman  and  written  on  the  walls — "  Silence 
until  death  *'  [Geheim  his  ins  grab).  The  punish- 
ment for  betrayal  was  incarceration  as  a  State 
prisoner  in  the  fortress  of  Konigsberg  for  life. 
The  terrible  silent  conditions  of  the  labour  pro- 
duced a  longing  on  the  part  of  the  immured 
workmen  to  escape.     And  escape  they  did. 

The  Secret  divulged. — In  1718,  the  year  pre- 
vious to  Bottger's  death  Stolzel,  the  chief 
workman  at  Meissen,  made  his  way  to  Vienna 
and  proceeded  to  estabhsh,  under  the  direction 
of  a  Belgian  named  Claude  Du  Pasquier,  a  manu- 
factory of  hard  porcelain.  The  factory  was 
acquired  for  the  State  by  the  Empress  Maria 
Theresa  in  1744. 

From  Vienna  a  workman  named  Ringler  carried 
the  secret  far  and  wide.  His  name  is  linked 
with  the  founding  of  several  factories — at  Hochst 
in  1740,  at  Frankenthal  in  1754,  where  he  became 
director,    at    Nymphenberg   in    1756,    where    his 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF   THE  FACTORY    31 

4 

aid  was  invoked,  at  Ludwigsberg  (in  Wurtemberg) 
in  1758,  and  at  Zurich  in  1759. 

The  workmen  of  Hochst,  in  their  turn,  further 
divulged  the  secret.  Bengraf,  in  1750,  carried 
the  process  to  Fiirstenberg,  the  factory  under 
the  patronage  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick. 

In  1744  an  imperial  china  factory  was  estab- 
lished at  St.  Petersburg  by  the  Empress  Elizabeth 
Petrowna,  who  employed  workmen  from  Meissen, 
and  in  1765,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Empress 
Catherine  II,  the  works  were  enlarged. 

There  were  two  methods  of  obtaining  the  great 
secret  of  Meissen — by  stealth  and  by  experiment ; 
most  of  the  factories  employed  the  former  means. 
The  attempts  to  arrive  at  the  hard  paste  by  experi- 
ment resulted  in  "the  establishment  of  many 
soft-paste  factories.  One  remarkable  instance 
of  indefatigable  industry  is  that  of  the  chemist 
Pott,  in  the  employ  of  the  King  of  Prussia  at 
Berlin,  who  endeavoured  honestly  to  arrive  at 
the  nature  of  the  composition  of  the  Meissen 
body.  He  is  credited  with  having  made  no 
fewer  than  thirty  thousand  experiments,  and  in 
so  doing  he  contributed  largely  to  the  modern 
chemical  knowledge  of  the  effect  of  high  tempera-- 
tures  on  minerals.  ^ 

It  is  thus  seen  how  great  was  the  discovery 
of  Bottger,  of  Meissen,  and  how  far-reaching 
were  the  results  of  the  manufacture  of  true  porce- 
lain   in    Saxony.      A    wild   burst   of   enthusiasm 

*  Roscoe  and  Schorlemmer,  Treatise  on  Chemistry,  vol.  ii.  p.  598. 


32    KOYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

followed  which  has  been  rarely  equalled.  Soldier- 
princes  engaged  in  the  wars  which  were  waged 
in  the  German  States  turned  aside  to  indulge 
in  speculation  concerning  the  new  art.  In  1717 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  fine  porcelain, 
many  of  them  old  Oriental,  now  at  the  Japanese 
Palace  at  Dresden,  were  acquired  by  Augustus 
the  Strong  of  Saxony  from  the  King  of  Prussia 
in  exchange  for  a  regiment  of  dragoons,  without 
uniforms,  horses,  or  arms. 

When  the  vigilant  Frederick  the  Great  com- 
menced the  Seven  Years'  War,  and  on  a  sudden 
filled  the  electorate  of  Saxony  with  sixty  thousand 
Prussian  troops,  Dresden  was  taken.  It  was 
in  vain  that  the  Queen  of  Poland,  daughter  of 
an  emperor  and  mother-in-law  of  a  dauphin, 
placed  the  secret  State  documents  in  her  bedroom 
to  avoid  seizure.  They  were  too  valuable  to 
Frederick,  who  had  them  forcibly  removed,  and 
by  publishing  them  proved  that  he  was  to  be 
assailed  at  once  by  Austria,  France,  Russia, 
Sweden,  Saxony,  and  the  Germanic  body.  ' 

The  factory  of  Meissen  was  depleted  of  material 
and  models,  and  he  transported  artists  and  work- 
men to  Berlin  to  found  his  factory  there.  Five 
hundred  persons  were  engaged  at  this  new  factory, 
and  in  order  to  win  commercial  success  he  executed 
a  master-stroke  by  framing  a  decree  that  all  Jews 
in  his  kingdom  must  produce  a  voucher  from  the 
director  of  the  factory  that  they  had  purchased 
a  certain  amount   of  the  royal  porcelain  before 


VASE   (ONE  OF  A   PAIR). 

Decorated  in  rococo  style  with  panels  having  allegorical  subjects,  one 
of  which  has  a  medallion  supported  by  cupids  upon  which  a  crown 
and  F5  are  inscribed  in  gold.  FesLoons  of  Howers,  painted  in  natural 
colours,  are  suspended  from  a  ring  at  top  of  vase  ;  all  in  high  relief. 
Marked  F5  in  gold. 

(/«  the  collection  of  Count  Moltke,  of  Bregentved.) 


33 


••  • 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF   THE   FACTORY    35 

lb 
permission  would   be   granted  to  enable  them  to 

marry. 

It  is  such  human  touches  as  these,  significant 
in  their  piquancy,  which  give  exceptional  interest 
to  the  porcelain  of  the  old  days  produced  in  con- 
ditions of  no  Uttle  difficulty.  Under  Court  patron- 
age, beset  by  espionage  and  hedged  about  by 
intrigue,  the  secret  of  one  factory  rapidly  found 
its  way  across  the  frontier  to  the  neighbouring 
State.  The  fortunes  of  potters  have  not  lain 
in  smooth  places,  and  fate  has  been  as  capricious 
as  the  fire  of  the  furnace.  In  eighteenth-century 
days  the  furore  of  mad  dilettantism  pursued  them 
relentlessly.  Royal  amateurs  more  often  than 
not  asked  them  to  make  bricks  without  straw, 
and  there  was  still  in  the  air  the  lingering  sus- 
picion that  the  furnace  might, yield  up  the  secret 
of  the  philosopher's  stone  and  fill  the  State  treasury 
to  the  full. 

The  First  Porcelain  in  Denmark. — It  is  not 
difficult  to  imagine  the  situation.  King  Frederik  V 
determined  to  found  a  porcelain  factory  of  his 
own.  His  queen  consort  was  Louise,  daughter 
of  George  II,  who  died  in  1751,  eight  years  after 
her  marriage.  His  second  wife  was  Juliane  Marie, 
of  Brunswick- Wolfenbiittel. 

Faience  was  made  at  various  factories  in  Den- 
mark, and  it  is  more  than  conjectural  that  various 
native  attempts  were  made  to  produce  porcelain. 
The  royal  factory,  which  '  the  king  built  near 
the  Blue  Tower  at  Chris tianshavn,  with  the  aid 


36     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


of  foreign  workmen  whom  he  had  induced  to 
enter  his  service,  commenced  to  make  various  ex- 
periments. Mehlhoni  was  one  of  the  aHen  potters 
brought  from  Saxony,  but  apparently-;  whether 
from  paucity  of  natural  earths  or  owipg  to  faulty 
kilns,  nothing  of  any  moment  resulted  until  Louis 
Fournier,  a  Frenchman  (1760-1766),  was  induced 
to  take  charge  of  the  factory.  During  what  is 
known  as  the  Fournier  period  the  French  direc- 
tor had  the  assistance  of  Danish  artists,  in- 
cluding Johannes  Wiedewelt  the 
sculptor.  His  contemporaries  speak 
of  the  services  he  designed.  Doubt- 
less many  of  them  were  intended 
^^  as  presents  to  foreign  princes  and 
•  yii{  ^  ambassadors,  and  found  their  way 
n^^  into  royal  and  foreign  cabinets. 
Mark.  Although  only  about  twenty  pieces 
Fournier  period  ^^  ^he  Fournier  period  are  known, 
(1760-1766).  it  is  not  impossible  that  careful 
Soft-paste  Force-  research  may  discover  that  some 
of  the  early  pieces  attributed  to 
Fiirstenberg  may  really  belong  to  Fournier  of 
Copenhagen.  Obviously,  on  account  of  their 
rarity  they  are  of  great  value  and  of  exceptional 
interest  as  being  the  first  creations  of  the  Royal 
Copenhagen  Porcelain  Factory.  The  identifica- 
tion should  be  rendered  the  easier  when  it  is  borne 
in  mind  that  the  early  Copenhagen  porcelain  of 
the  Fournier  period  is  soft  paste,  whereas  the 
Fiirstenberg  porcelain  is  hard  paste.      The  mark 


it 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF   THE   FACTORY    37 

F  with  the  figure  5  stands  for  Frederik  V  and.  not 
for  Fournier.  The  coincidence  of  the  initial 
letter  is  like*  the  W  in  Worcester  porcelain  of  the 
Dr.  Wall  period. 

The  early  creations  of  the  Copenhagen  factory 
were  porcelain,  it  is  true,  but  they  are  not  the 
hard  or  true  porcelain  of  Meissen.  They  are 
the  soft  paste  of  the  same  nature  as  the  pate 
tendrc  of  contemporary  Sevres.  They  did  not 
attain  the  high  ideal  contemplated  by  Frederik  V 
when  he  set  out  to  equal  the  Saxon  porcelain 
and  the  other  hard-paste  porcelains  of  Germany, 
but  they  arrived  at  a  dignity  and  a  grace  of  style 
which  are  worthy  of  regard.  As  first  attempts  they 
are  of  surprising  beauty,  and  the  few  specimens 
remaining  arouse  curiosity  as  to  what  masterpieces 
of  this  short  period  have  been  lost  to  posterity. 

The  modelhng,  the  design,  and  the  colouring 
of  such  early  examples  as  these  of  a  new  factory 
are  naturally  dependent  on  prototypes.  It  was 
a  great  thing  to  produce  porcelain  at  all,  conse- 
quently the  style  is  found  to  be  derivative.  A 
fine  Sevres  jar  with  cover,  in  date  1761,  at  the 
Sevres  Museum,  has  a  family  likeness  to  the 
Fournier  cups  with  covers  in  Rosenborg  Castle, 
Copenhagen.  Although  these  latter  have  the 
same  ty^e  of  decoration  with  a  white  panel  on 
a  dark  ground,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Sevres 
example  exhibits  the  sure  mastery  of  technique 
of  an  older  factory.  The  painting  is  richer  and 
of   more  detail,  with    birds  of    tropical   plumage. 

3 


38     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


The  Fournier  examples,  with  handles,  were  evi- 
dently designed  for  use.  There  are  live  of  these 
covered  custard  cups  at  Rosenborg  Castle,  three 
having  green  and  two  having  blue  grounds ;  we 
illustrate  an  example.  At  the  Kunstindustri 
Museum  at  Copenhagen  there  are  two  custard 
cups  and  covers  of  similar  form — one  with  red 
decoration;  and  the  other  with  red  and  green, 
and  floral  decoration  painted  in  colours.  These 
are  both  marked  F5  in  blue. 

It  is  interesting  to  note,  in  the  archives  of  the  ^ 
Sevres  factory,  that  Louis  XV  sent,  in  1758,  to 
the  King  of  Denmark  a  service  of  green,  decorated 
with  figures,  flowers,  and  birds,  which  cost  30,000 
livres.  Here,  at  hand,  was  a  fine  Sevres  service 
as  model  for  Fournier,  and  the  resemblance  of 
soft-paste  Copenhagen  porcelain  to  Sevres  is  not 
difficult  to  understand. 

In  the  illustration  of  the  Oval  Dish  and  Cover 
standing  beside  the  cup  with  handle,  the  ware  is 
coarser  and  in  paste  and  colouring  is  not  unlike 
some  of  the  earlier  specimens  of  Bow  china.  These 
and  the  other  illustration  of  Sucrier  with  Cover 
and  Dish  are  from  the  famous  collection  at  Rosen- 
borg Castle.  The  sucrier  and  covet  are  decorated 
with  scale  pattern ;  portions  of  the  outer  rim 
are  moulded  in  relief  and  the  floral  decoration 
is  in  natural  colours. 

A  Teapot  from  a  tea  service  at  the  National 
Museum  at  Stockholm  exhibits  a  similar  style 
in  this  experimental  period.      The  colours  of  the 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF   THE   FACTORY     39 

teapot,  cream  jug,  and  cups  and  saucers  are 
emerald  green  borders  with  gilding.  The  flowers 
are  painted  in  natural  colours.  They  bear  the 
Fournier  mark  F5  in  gold.  The ,  service  was  a 
present  to  King  Charles  XV  of  Sweden  from  the 
Countess  Dannemand. 

In  the  collection  of  Count  Moltke  of  Bregentved 
are  four  fine  Vases  of  this  period.  They  exhibit 
the  rococo  style  then  prevalent  and  are*  remark- 
able works  emanating  from  the  little  royal  factory 
of  Copenhagen  during  the  first  years  of  its  e^Tist- 
ence.  On  one  of  these  vases  is  a  panel  decorated 
with  a  group  of  Cupids  supporting  a  shield  upon 
which  is  inscribed  the  mark  used  by  Fournier 
in  the  period  of  Frederik  V. 

All  these  soft-paste  Copenhagen  examples  are 
of  great  rarity.  The  Fournier  period  was  of 
short  duration.  The  death  of  Frederik  V,  in 
1766,  removed  its  royal  patron.  The  winter  of 
1766-7  brought  great  distress  in  Copenhagen, 
and  the  masked  balls  and  masquerades  and  the 
luxurious  riot  of  the  Court  of  the  young  king 
Christian  VII  at  Christianborg  inflamed  public 
opinion  against  the  new  monarch. 

It  is  obvious  that  at  such  a  juncture  the  roj^al 
factory,  which  in  its  struggling  infancy  needed 
enthusiastic  patrpnage,  suffered  from  neglect  so 
that  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  its  days  were 
numbered,  and  after  a  vain  struggle  it  finally 
ceased  work.  Louis  Fournier  returned  to  France, 
and  the  first  period  of  Copenhagen  porcelain  came 
to  an  end. 


CHAPTER    II 

FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER 
(1773-1801) 

QUEEN  JULIANE   MARIE    PERIOD 
PART  I  (1775-1780) 


PORTRAIT  OF  FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER. 

(From  an  old  lithograph.) 

Reproduced  by  kind  permission  of  *'■  Tids shrift  for  Indus fri,^^ 
Copenhagen. 


CHRONOLOGY 


1732.  Frantz  Heinrich  Mliller  born,  17th  November. 

1766.  Muller  solicits  support  for  the  establishment  of  a  porcelain 
factory. 

1773.  Frantz  Heinrich  Muller  presents  his  first  pieces  of  hard-fired 
transparent  porcelain  to  Christian  VII,  The  first  hard  porcelain 
made  in  Denmark. 

1775.  A  company  formed,  of  which  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family 
held  shares.  The  Dowager  Queen  Juliane  Marie  suggests  the 
factory  mark  of  the  three  blue  lines,  symbolizing  the  three 
waterways  of  Denmark,  which  mark  was  adopted  and  has  been 
continuously  used  since  that  date. 

1779.  The  factory  taken  over  by  the  king  becomes  the  Royal,  Porcelain 
Manufactory. 

1780.  The  first  retail  depot  opened  in  Copenhagen. 


CHAPTER  II 

FRANTZ    HEINRICH    MULLER 

(1773-1801) 

QUEEN  JULIANE  MARIE  PERIOD 
Part  I  (1775-1780) 

The  Court  of  the  young  king  Christian  VII — A  great 
Court  scandal — A  Coup  d*Btat — The  inception  of 
the  Porcelain  Factory — The  origin  of  the  mark  of 
the  Thiee  Blue  Lines — Miiller's  technique — Miiller's 
range  of  subjects. 

At  the  death  of  King  Frederik  V,  in  January 
1766,  and  the  succession  of  Christian  VII,  then 
seventeen  years  of  age,  the  royal  china  factory 
at  the  Blue  Tower  fell  upon  evil  days.  Wlien 
Frantz  Heinrich  Miiller,  "  only  after  numerous 
unsuccessful  attempts,"  presented  his  first  three 
pieces  of  hard-fired  transparent  porcelain  to  the 
young  king  in  September  1773,  there  were  matters 
of  much  graver  moment  occupying  public  attention. 
It  was  almost  in  vain  that  Miiller  had  built  new 
kilns  differing  from  those  in  which  soft  porcelain 
was  made,  travelled  to  Bornholm  to  find  suitable 

clay,  and  experimented  with  glazes. 

43 


ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

In  the  six  years  since  the  death  of  Frederik, 
Denmark  had  passed  through  one  of  the  most 
tragical  periods  of  her  history.  Christian  VII,  a 
manikin  prince,  became  the  sport  of  fate.  Caroline 
Matilda,  the  sister  of  George  III  of  England,  at 
the  early  age  of  fifteen,  became  his  queen.  Him- 
self the  son  of  the  beloved  Louise,  daughter  of 
George  II,  great  hopes  -were  entertained  by  the 
Danish  people  of  the  alliance.  But  perverse 
circumstances— with  the  grim  figure  of  the 
Dowager  Queen  Juliane  Marie  in  the  background 
—beset  the  path  of  the. young  couple. 

The  Court  at  Christianborg,  an  echo  of  Ver- 
sailles, filled  with  painted  men  and  women  who 
affected  to  despise  Danish  customs  and  even  the 
Danish  tongue,  was  a  hot-bed  of  intrigue. 
Christian  threw  etiquette  to  the  winds  in  his 
sanctum,  surrounded  by  boon  companions.  The 
coterie  had  all  ^he  abandon  of  Sans  Souci  without 
the  master-mind  of  Frederick  of  Prussia  and  the 
wit  and  satire  of  that  monarch's  confidantes. 
Madame  de  Plessen,  lady-in-waiting,  stern  pre- 
cisian in  etiquette,  devoted  to  her  young  mistress, 
but  heedlessly  tactless,  made  a  breach  between 
the  king  and  queen.  The  bride  of  a  year  retired 
to  the  company  of  staid  dowagers  and  played 
chess.  The  petulance  and  malicious  tricks  of  the 
king  early  showed  that,  unable  to  govern  him- 
self, he  was  unable  to  govern  others.  Madame  de 
Plessen  was  dismissed  by  the  king  and  ordered  to 
leave  Denmark.    Christian's  dissipation  was  rapidly 


VASE   WITH   COVER. 

With   wreaths  of    roses  and  other  flowers  in    high   relief,   painted    in 

natural  colours.     Cover    with    seated    figure   of    cupid   with    garland. 

Panel    with    painted    portrait  of    the   Dowager    Queen   Juliane    Marie. 

Height  15  inches. 

(Ai  Rosenborg  Castle,  Copenhagen.) 


45 


FRANTZ  HEINRICK   MtlLLER         47 

becoming  a  public  scandal.  The  "  Northern 
Rogue  "  was  the  mild  epithet  of  the  English 
populace,  who  cheered  the  little  king  when  he 
came  to  St.  James's.  Echoes  of  his  wild  life 
reached  Matilda  at  Copenhagen. 

A  Great  Court  Scandal. — At  this  juncture  a 
remarkable  man,  John  Frederick  Struensee,  the 
king's  physician,  a  German,  possessed  of  extra- 
ordinary talents,  gradually  began  to  assume  control 
of  State  affairs.  The  tragic  story  is  too  intricate 
to  refer  to  here  in  more  than  a  cursory  manner. 
Queen  Matilda's  attachment  to  Struensee  is  as 
romantic  as  that  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  for 
Rizzio.  An  English  author  has  termed  her  *'  A 
Queen  of  Tears."  ^  It  is  Madame  de  Genlis  who 
affirms  that  "  men  summon  physicians  only  when 
they  suffer,  women  when  they  are  merely  afflicted 
with  enmti."  In  six  years  this  man  became  the 
most  powerful  in  Denmark.  An  amazing  state  of 
things  followed.  The  envoys  of  the  various 
Powers  became  alarmed  at  the  situation.  Drastic 
reforms  followed  one  another  in  quick  succession, 
inaugurated  by  Struensee,  but  promulgated  in  the 
king's  name.  Undoubtedly  Struensee  had  a  genius 
for  government  had  he  tempered  his  reforms  with 
discretion.  He  was  saturated  with  German  philo- 
sophy, and  based  his  ethics  on  Voltaire  and  the 
sordid  sentiment  of  Rousseau.     "It  is  the  path 

'  A  Queen  of  TearSy  Caroline  Matilda,  Queen  of  Denmark  and 
Norway,  and  Princess  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  by  VV.  U. 
Wilkins,  .M.A.,  F.S.A.  {2  voli^.),  London,   1904. 


48    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

of  the  passions  that  has  conducted  me  to  philo- 
sophy," writes  Jean- Jacques,  and  Struensee  might 
well  have  applauded  that  sentiment.  He  invented 
a  new  office  and  became  "  Master  of  Requests  " 
and  virtually  Prime  Minister.  But  he  offended  too 
many  people's  interests  and  became  the  object  of 
hatred.  He  galled  the  old  nobihty  by  his  despotic 
power,  and  the  Dowager-Queen  Juhane  Marie, 
from  her  seclusion  at  Fredensborg,  filled  the  Court 
with  spies.  The  weak-minded  king,  now  showing 
signs  of  mental  aberration,  signed  everything  put 
before  him,  and  the  young  Queen  Matilda  was 
under  the  domination  of  Struensee,  who  openly 
treated  her  with  disrespect. 

In  1 77 1  there  was  great  distress  in  the  country 
and  discontent  was  growing.  Scurrilous  letters 
fell  at  the  feet  of  Struensee  and  Matilda  on  their 
walks  at  Hirscholm,  and  placards  of  a  threatening 
nature  were  affixed  to  the  walls  of  the  royal 
palaces.  Struensee  had  flouted  the  army  by 
attempting  to  disband  the  Guards.  The  mutter- 
ings  of  disaffection  became  more  audible.  His 
effrontery  deserted  him.  He  grew  craven-hearted 
iti  face  of  grave  dangers.  His  failure  stamps  him 
as  a  colossal  adventurer  at  bottom  ;  had  he  been 
of  sterner  stuff  he  might  have  become  a  hero. 

A  Coup  d'Etat.— The  hour  for  striking  a  blow 
was  at  hand,  and  Queen  Juhane  Marie  and  her 
son  Frederik,  with  a  band  of  Conspirators,  at  a 
masked  ball  on  the  night  of  January  i6,  1772, 
seized  the  person  of  the  king,  together  with  Matilda  ; 


VASE   WITH    COVER. 

With  wreaths  of  roses  and  other  fiowers  in  high  relief,  painled  in 

natural   colours.    Cover  with   seated   figure   of   cupid  with   garland 

Panel  with  painted  portrait  of  the  Crown   Prince   Frederik.     Height 

13  inches. 

{A^  Rosenborg  Castle,  Copenhagen) 
49 


•  .•"«•      •     • 


•    •  •■ 


•     •••'§"»•' 


M 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER  r,l 

the  latter  was  hurried  off  to  the  fortress  ol  Kron- 
borg,  and  Struensee  and  Brandt,  his  coadjutor, 
were  imprisoned  in  the  citadel  at  Copenhagen. 

The  trial  and  divorce  of  Matilda  and  the 
beheading  of  Struensee  and  Brandt  is  a  poignant 
story.  The  name  of  th6  unfortunate  young 
queen  was  ordered  to  be  officially  omitted  from 
the  prayer-book  at  a  time  when  she  surely  stood 
most  in  need  of  prayer.  JuUane  Marie  pursued 
Matilda  with  vindictiveness,  and  her  malevolence 
nearly  precipitated  Denmark  in  a  war  with  Eng- 
land. It  was  intended  that  Matilda  should  be 
imprisoned  in  a  remote  fortress  in  Jutland.  The 
British  Minister,  Sir  Robert  Murray  Keith,  in- 
formed the  Danish  Government  that  unless  Queen 
Matilda  was  released  he  would  present  his  letters 
of  recall  and  war  would  be  declared.  The  Danish 
Minister  in  London  wrote  in  great  haste  to  say 
that  a  fleet  was  fitting  out.  It  was  only  then 
that  Queen  Juliane  Marie  released  her  hold  of 
Matilda  and  allowed  her  to  depart  to  Celle,  in  the 
State  of  Hanover,  where  she  died  in  1775  in  her 
twenty-third  year. 

Here,  then,  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Miiller 
was  experimenting  with  his  clays,  his  glazes,  and 
his  colours.  In  1771  a  hundred  and  fifty  weavers 
set  out  on  foot  from  Copenhagen  to  Hirscholm, 
in  days  of  panic,  to  complain  that  they  were 
starving  because  the  royal  silk  factory  was  closed. 
It  was  an  ill-starred  venture  to  attempt  the 
estabUshment  of  a  new  porcelain  factory,  but  in 


52    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


face  of  reverses  of  fortune  and  undeterred  by 
lack  of  support,  Miiller  by  his  immense  energy 
fired  into  being  the  great  porcelain  factory  of 
Copenhagen.  To  Miiller  the  Dane  belongs  the 
honour  of  founding  the  little  factory  which  strove 
to  achieve  results  no  less  beautiful  than  Meissen, 
Berlin,  or  Sevres.  Begun  in  a  spirit  of  worthy 
emulation,  the  Copenhagen  factory  shortly  began 
to  develop  an  original  and  national  style,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  it  worked  in  the  early  days  on 
foreign  suggestion   and  employed   foreign   artists. 

The  Inception  of  the  Porcelain  Factory. — Frantz 
Heinrich  Miiller  was  born  on  the  17th  of 
November  1732.  When  an  apprentice,  from  the 
age  of  fifteen,  at  the  Kong  Salomon's  Pharmacy 
at  Copenhagen,  he  devoted  his  leisure  to  the 
study  of  chemistry,  botany,  mineralogy,  and 
metallurgy.  He  was  appointed  as  Guardian  of 
the  Mint  at  the  Bank  of  Copenhagen  in  his  twenty- 
eighth  year,  and  held  the  post  from  1760  tp  1767. 
As  early  as  1765  he  had  the  object  in  view  of 
establishing  a  porcelain  factory  ;  together  with  a 
painter  named  Richter  we  find  him  soliciting 
support.  In  common  with  his  contemporaries 
he  cast  eager  eyes  on  foreign  porcelain.  He 
wandered  for  three  years  on  the  Continent  under 
an  assumed  name,  and  the  unravelling  of  this 
period  of  his  career  would  throw  much  light  on 
his  researches. 

Miiller,  on  his  secret  mission  in  Germany,  found 
that  the  china  factories  of  Fiirstenberg,  Meissen,  , 


§   I 

<: 

O 

z 

o 

H 

OS 

o 

a, 


53 


^•« 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER  55 

and  Berlin  were  closed  to  him.  But  he  threw 
his  whole  life  and  energy  into  his  work.  He  out- 
lived the  opposition  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries, 
who  objected  to  a  licence  being  granted  him  as 
a  druggist  and  dispenser.  But  in  face  of  the 
objection  the  College  of  Medicine  found  the 
applicant  "  a  very  capable,  learned,  and  experi- 
enced man,  not  only  in  Pharmacy,  but  also  in 
Chemistry,  Assaying,  and  Natural  History."  With 
characteristic  energy  he  passed  the  pharmaceutical 
examination  at  the  age  of  forty-one ;  already 
he  had  shown  originality  and  inventiveness  by 
making  several  discoveries  in  colours  and  in 
dj^eing.  But  with  all  his  virility  he  found  finan- 
cial success  no  easy  matter  at  such  a  disturbed 
period.  He  endeavoured  to  form  a  company 
for  the  manufacture  of  Danish  porcelain.  To 
his  chagrin,  only  one  share  was  sold. 

At  the  outset  there  was  little  promise  that  his 
untiring  efforts  would  win  the  remotest  recog- 
nition from  his  countrymen.  It  seemed  imminent 
that  the  whole  enterprise  would  have  to  be  aban- 
doned. Happily,  Privy  Chancellor  Holm,  the 
private  secretary  to  the  Dowager-Oueen  Julianc 
Marie,  saw  possibilities  in  the  venture.  To 
revive  the  old  factory  which  Fournier  had  vacated 
was  an  opportunity  not  to  be  missed.  If  it 
proved  a  success,  it  would  redound  to  the  credit 
of  the  queen  and  add  lustre  to  the  new  regime 
just  commenced  under  the  sway  of  Juliane  Marie, 
with  Guldberg  as  the  power  behind  the  throne. 


56    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


Christian  VII  had  simply  passed  as  a  signer  of 
documents  into  the  keeping  of  another  set  of 
masters. 

Of  the  shares,  most  of  them  in  the  new  factory 
were  held  by  members  of  the  royal  family  and 
one  by  Miiller  himself.  The  directors  were  Holm  ; 
Suhm,  the  historian  ;  General  Eickstedt,  one  of 
the  conspirators  who  took  a  leading  part  in  the 
arrest  at  the  masked  ball ;  and  Guldberg,  who 
had  a  finger  in  every  pie.  On  the  13th  of  March 
1775  the  company  obtained  the  monopoly  of  the 
manufacture  of  porcelain  in  all  the  dominions  of 
the  King  of  Denmark,  in  spite  of  the  opposition 
of  the  Board  of  Trade. 

The  Origin  of  the  Mark  of  the  Three  Blue  Lines. 
—The  first  meeting  of  the  company  was  held  on 
the  1st  of  May  1775.  It  was  decided  that  the 
trade-mark  of  the  factory,  according  to  the  pro- 
posal of  Queen  Juliane  Marie,  should  be  three 
wavy  lines,  always  marked  in  blue,  representing 
Denmark's  three  waterways — Oresund,  and  the 
two  belts  :  Storehelt,  between  Sjaelland  and  Fyen  ; 
Lillehelt,  between  Fyen  and  Jutland.  With  this 
trade-mark  of  the  three  blue  hues  the  Copenhagen 
factory  [Den  Danske  Porcellcensfabrik)  took  its 
place  beside  the  older  factories  on  the  Continent, 
and  to  this  day,  a  hundred  and  forty-three  years 
afterwards,  this  same  mark  appears  on  all  porcelain 
emanating  from  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory. 

Although  Miiller  only  had  one  share  of  the 
subscribed  capital,  there  was  only  one  controlUng 


Subject.  Eagle  and  lamb  painted  in  natural  colours. 
Richly  gilded  border. 

Af  the  Ktimtindustri  Museum,  Copenhagen) 


57 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MllLLER  59 

brain.  He  worked  the  enterprise  single-handedly. 
It  was  "  par  ses  seules  lumiires,'*  to  quote  a  con- 
temporary French  account  of  the  factory,  that 
he  had  succeeded  in  producing  the  beautiful 
porcelain  which  won  early  recognition  from 
connoisseurs.  But  the  Court  were  not  eager  to 
encourage  ambition.  After  •  the  late  startling 
exhibition  of  a  now  defunct  medico,  whose  head 
still  stuck  on  a  pole  on  Gallows  Hill,  genius  must 
needs  be,  rigorously  safeguarded.  In  common, 
therefore,  with  his  artisans,  Miiller  was  required 
to  sign  a  contract  binding  him  to  remain  in  the 
employ  of  the  Court  factory,  and  to  keep  secret 
all  that  he  knew  of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain 
— his  own  invention.  His  official  position  was 
only  that  of  works  manager. 

Genius,  that  indomitable  and  unquenchable 
spirit  which  overrides  all  obstacles,  found  Miiller, 
with  his  crowd  of  untried  soldier  workmen  and 
crude  apprentices,  ceaselessly  working  in  the 
factory  from  five  in  the  morning  till  seven  in  the 
evening,  and  often  superintending  the  firing  all 
night.  In  1776  three  workmen  were  inveigled 
from  Meissen  to  the  Court  factory  at  Copenhagen, 
but  only  two  out  of  the  three  showed  any  ability. 
Their  supercilious  manners,  tc^ether  with  their 
higher  wages,  brought  trouble  in  the  factory 
among  the  other  workmen,  and  Miiller  expelled 
them  by  force.  But  he  made  one  appointment 
^which  undoubtedly  was  of  benefit  to  the  factory  ; 
by   contributing   part   of   the   salary   himself,    he 


60    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

brought  A.  C.  Luplau  from  the  Furstenberg 
factory,  who  became  modelHng  master.  As  early 
as  1776  the  name  of  Bayer  appears  as  a  painter 
m  colours,  as  opposed  to  the  painters  in  under- 
glaze  blue.  It  was  Bayer  who  afterwards  was 
entrusted  with  the  painting  of  the  celebrated 
l^lora  Damca  service,  begun  in  1790.  Others 
whose  names  are  found  in  the  early  records  arc 
Hans  Clio  and  the  portrait  painters,  Camrath  and^ 
Ondrup. 

The  lirst  four  years  of  the  factory  were  ver^, 
critical.      Notwithstanding    the    close    apphcation 
of  Miiller,  the  financial  position  came  to  a  seriou: 
crisis    in    1779.      There    seemed    every    likelihood 
that    the    factory    would    follow   in    the    steps    01 
Fournier    and    close    its    doors.      How    the    roya. 
shareholders  adjusted  matters  is  not  known,  noi 
what  became  of  Miiller's  one  share  in  the  enteri 
prise.      The  debts  were  paid  in  the  king's  namt 
and  the  factory  was  taken  over  by  the  State  ant 
became    the    Royal    Porcelain    Manufactory    (De^ 
Kongelige  PorcellcB7isfahrik),  which  name  it  bears 
at    the    present    day.      In    March    1780    a   retail 
business  was  opened  at  Copenhagen  in  connection 
with    the    factory.      Miiller    was    made    inspector 
of  the  factory  and  the  title  of  Councillor  of  Justice 
was  'conferred  upon  him. 

Dated  specimens  have  an  exceptional  interest 
in  proving  that  no  inconsiderable  progress  had 
at  that  time  been  made  in  the  artistic  development 
of  the  factory.      Already  in  form  and  in  decoration 


SAUCER. 

Subjecl,  Water-god  painted  in  purple,  with  green  wreath  of  aquatic 
foUage  on  a  base  of  shells  and  seaweed. 

{A^  the  Ktinslindustri  Museum^  Copenhagen) 


61 


•   •  T*5  ->     • 


f 


FRANTZ   HEINRICPI   MOLLER  63 

there  was  something  distinctive  in  Miiller's  ware. 
Such  pieces  show  indisputably  that  great  days 
were  at  hand,  if  indeed  in  these  first  few  years 
success  had  not  already  been  achieved  in  training 
artists  and  craftsmen  in  the  new  industry. 

Miiller's  Technique. — Danish  ceramic  art  is 
profoundly  indebted  to  Miiller  for  his  pioneer 
work.  He  was  a  giant  in  days  when  pigmies 
controlled  the  destinies.  His  unflagging  energy, 
his  practical  experiments,  and  his  original  and 
inventive  genius  impelled  him  to  implant  national 
characteristics  in  the  Royal  Copenhagen  porcelain 
which  have  never  departed  from  the  ware  of  this 
factory.  His  first  attempts  were  made  with 
kaolin  which  he  obtained  from  the  island  of 
Bornholm.  He  soon  reaUzed  that  this  did  not 
fulfil  all  the  conditions  necessary  for  a  fine  body. 
It  was  of  a  greyish-blue  tint,  and  was  liable  to 
lose  its  shape  in  firing.  In  appearance  it  is  not 
very  transparent  and  is  somewhat  coarse,  hke 
some  of  the  old  Japanese  porcelain.  Of  this 
Bornholm  period  mention  will  be  made  later  in 
dealing  with  the  early  examples  of  blue  under- 
glaze  painted  ware,  which  is  a  special  variety  by 
itself,  running  concurrently  with  the  overglaze 
painted  ware  which  Miiller  brought  in  his  best 
period  to  unexampled  perfection. 

He  prepared  the  glazes  himself,  determined 
the  correct  method  of  firing,  and  made  the  colours 
used  at  the  factory.  The  blue  that  he  invented 
is  perfect,  and  is  to  be  found  on  the  early  specimens 

4 


64     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

of  underglaze  painted  porcelain  for  domestic  use. 
The  green  and  the  purple  found  in  the  early  Miiller 
period  were  his  own  discovery  and  of  exceptional 
quality  in  tone.  He  was  a  master  of  technique, 
and  perfected  a  new  body  which  he  called  "  virgin 
paste."  This  is  of  a  dazzling  white,  and  Miiller 's 
glaze  is  transparent  and  smooth  as  polished 
crystal.  The  tint  is  that  of  the  green  of  the 
sea,  and  without  doubt  its  technical  excellence 
lends  great  beauty  to  the  porcelain  of  this  period. 
Considering  the  primitive  methods  of  working 
and  the  impure  materials  then  available,  the 
perfection  and  beauty  of  the  results  claim  pro- 
found admiration  from  the  connoisseur.  Even 
with  the  aid  of  modern  technology  and  chemistry 
it  has  not  yet ,  been  found  possible  to  equal  the 
technique  of  Miiller's  best  period. 

The  year  1780,  the  date  when  the  first  opening 
of  the  retail  business  took  place,  was  the  turning- 
point  in  the  history  of  the  factory.  Miiller  was 
acclaimed  as  a  genius  by  his  countrymen.  It 
was  proposed  that  a  statue  Should  be  erected  to 
his  honour — and  this  in  his  lifetime.  A  wave  of 
enthusiasm  found  an  outlet  in  Latin  poems  to 
'*  the  man  who  had  done  so  much  for  his  king 
and  country."  It  is  exceptional  to  find  such 
contemporary  honour  bestowed  on  a  potter. 
Rarely  is  a  man  a  prophet  in  his  own  country. 
But  happily  Miiller  lived  to  wear  the  laurel  wreath. 
*'  What  honour,"  writes  a  contemporary,  "  this 
industry   has   brought   its.  founder  !      I   was   en- 


65 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER         07 

raptured  with  the  things  which  I  saw.  How 
could  I  have  dreamed  that  these  could  be  made 
by  a  Dane  and  in  my  native  land  !  " 

We  catch  an  insight  into  Miiller's  methods  from 
a  letter  he  wrote,  when  eighty  years  of  age,  to 
Boye,  a  subsequent  director,  who  had  suggested, 
the  use  of  some  pieces  of  new  apparatus  for  the 
laboratory.  Old  Miiller  wrote  as  follows :  "I 
fail  to  see  the  use  or  necessity  of  the  thermo- 
meter, eudiometer,  or  hydrometer.  I  have  never 
found  it  necessary  to  apply  such  exact  learning 
in  the  manufacture  of  porcelain,  and  ideas 
such  as  these  appear  to  me  to  be  absolutely 
absurd."  While  allowance  must  be  made  for 
Miiller's  advanced  age  and  his  hypersensitiveness 
towards  his  successors,  it  is  of  great  interest  to 
speculate  upon  his  point  of  view.  Man  of  science 
that  he  was,  his  deprecatory  regard  for  these 
instruments  seems  to  denote  that  his  technique 
was  arrived  at  by  practical  rule-of-thumb  methods, 
dependent  upon  personal  exactitude  rather  than 
upon  formulae.  It  is  idle  to  scoff  at  Miiller's 
conservatism,  for  science  has  yet  to  unravel  the 
secret  of  the  lost  art  of  tempering  the  Damascene 
blade  and  the  subtleties  of  the  potter's  art  of 
the  K'ang  Hsi  period  in  the  single  coloured 
glazes,  la  qualite  maitresse  de  la  ceramiqiie,  the 
delicacies  of  the  rare  peau  de  peche,  the  famille 
rose,  and  the  famille  verte.  In  the  late  seventeenth 
and  early  eighteenth-century  days  the  methods 
of  Chinese  potters  were  as  unscientific  as  those 


G8    ROYAL  COPENHA(?EN  PORCELAIN       . 

defended  by  Miiller,  but  the  results  are  "  not  of 
an  age,  but  for  all  time.**  And  Miiller's  results 
stand  the  test  of  intense  criticism  ;  they  are 
hitherto  inimitable. 

Miiller's  Range  of  Subjects. — In  regard  to  the 
periods  of  the  various  styles  of  Miiller,  with  very 
few  data  to  guide  the  critic  it  niust  be  largely 
a  matter  of  conjecture  as  to  the  exact  chrono- 
logical order  of  their  manufacture.  It  seems  to 
the  present  writer,  in  endeavouring  to  classify 
the  examples,  that  they  naturally  fall  under  the 
following  heads.  One  class  overlaps  another  in 
point  of  time,  and  although  at  first,  in  the  experi- 
mental period,  elaborate  artistic  creations  cannot 
at  that  stage  have  been  attempted,  it  must  equally 
follow  that  in  the  middle  and  later  period  the 
simpler  and  utilitarian  forms  were  still  being  made 
concurrently  with  the  iiner  works  of  art. 

The  natural  order  of  development  in  point  of 
technique  would  be  : — 

1.  Underglaze  painted   "  mussel  "   blue-and-white 

fluted  porcelain  (pp.  i6i,  163,  167). 

2.  Early  examples  painted  in  colours  overglaze. 

(See  illustrations,  pp.  65,  89.) 

(a)  Dishes,  plates,  tea  and  coffee  services. 

(b)  Vases    and    ornamental    pieces    of    a 
minor  character. 

3.  Vases  with  modelled  figures.      Figure  subjects 

in  colours. 

4.  Busts,  in  biscuit. 


•  • ••   •  • 


COFFEE   CUP. 


With  painted  subject    of    Frantz    Heinrich   Miiller  in   his    laboratory,  in  an   oval    sur- 
rounded by  wreath   of   flowers  in   gold.     Marlted  with   three  blue  lines.     Blue  border 
with  inscription  in  verse  in  jjold  : — 

Forstanden,  Sind   og    Sands    kan    samtlijjen    fornojes— Naar  ved  Naturens    Kraft    paa 

chymiske  veije  ploijes — Men  vil  og  Nytten  sees  da  5-kal  Forstanden  raade — Og  binde 

Sind  om  Sands  til  det  som  Skatter  baade. 

(Translation.) 

The  finest  senses  may  xvell   pleased  be— When  Nature  leans  on  Science  for  her  aid—But 
Art  in  wedlock  with  Utility— Demands  from  skill  a  double  debt  be  paid. 

{Ai  the  National  Museum,  Stockholm.) 


69 


•     •  •  •     •  •"  » 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH  MULLER         71 

5.  Elaborate  and  finely  modelled  vases  and  sump- 
tuous services,  of  which  the  Flora  Danica  is 
the  culmination. 

It  is  obvious  that  in  the  immature  years  of  a 
pottery  figure  subjects  would  be  rarely  attempted 
until  such  time  as  the  potters  were  sure  of  their 
ground  and  the  technique  had  been  securely 
established.  The  highest  artistic  achievements 
must  necessarily  come  after  the  rudiments  of  the 
art  have  been  mastered.  In  regard  to  figure 
subjects,  the  fact  that  Luplau  came  to  Copenhagen 
in  1776  with  eighteen  years'  experience  from  the 
Flirstenberg  factory  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration in  regard  to  the  appearance,  at  an  earlier 
stage  than  usual  in  the  history  of  a  factory,  of 
figures  of  excellent  character.  But  at  the  same 
time  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  utilitarian 
l)lue-and-white  services,  the  national  Danish 
pattern  now  so  well  known,  were  made  simul- 
taneously with  such  fine  creations  as  the  elaborate 
royal  services  at  Rosenborg  Castle  and  elsewhere. 

All  through  the  periods  from  Miiller  onwards 
the  famous  blue-and-white  has  remained  as  a 
standard  output  ;  but  as  a  rough  generalization, 
with  the  reservation  admitted  in  regard  to  figures, 
it  may  be  said  that  the  classes  above  mentioned 
followed  one  another  in  quick  succession,  until 
the  climax  of  the  Miiller  period  was  reached,  when 
the  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory  worthily  claimed 
a  place  beside  the  great  factories  in  Europe. 


CHAPTER  III 

FRANTZ  HEINRICH  MULLER 
(1773-1801)  cofitinued 

QUEEN  JULIANE  MARIE  PERIOD 
PART  II  (1780-1796) 


CHRONOLOGY 


1780. 
1784. 


1700. 


Tlie  tirsl  retail  depot  opened  by  the  Royal  Porcelain  Manufac- 
tory in  Copenhagen.     The  china  becomes  national. 

Queen   Juliane   Marie   and    her   son    Frcderik,    tiie    Hereditary 
Prince,  overthroAvn. 

The  Crown  Prince  Frederik  undertakes  the  government  of  the 
country  on  behalf  of  his  imbecile  father,  Christian  VII. 

The  importation  of  foreign  pqrcelain  into  Denmark  prohibited. 
The  great  Flora  Ddnica  service  for  Catherine    II,  Empress  of 
Russia,  commenced. 


1796.  Queen  Juliane  Marie  dies  in  retirement. 

1801.  The  battle  of  Copenhagen. 

.    Miiller  retires  from  active  work  at  the  factory,  then  in  his  sixty 
ninth  year. 

1807.  Copenhagen    bombarded    by    the    British     fleet.     Considerable- 
damage  done  to  the  Royal  Porcelain  I'actory. 

1808.  The  Crown  Prince  Frederik  ascends  the  throne  as  Frcderik  VI 
on  the  death  of  his  father,  Christian  VII. 

The  Flora  Danica  service  completed. 

1820.  Death  of  Miiller.     IJurictl  9lh  March. 


CHAPTER   111 
FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER 

( 1 7 7 3- 1 80 1 )  continued 

\  QUEEN  JULIANE  MARIE  PERIOD 

Part  II  (1780-1796) 

The  great  outburst  of  activity  in  1780 — The  manufacture 
of  porcelain  an  assured  success — A  contemporary 
account  of  the  factory — A  national  style  created — 
The  diversity  of  Miiller's  designs — National  senti- 
ment— Table  of  marks  (1775-1801) — List  of  leading 
painters  and  modellers  (1773-1801). 

The  masterpieces  of  Miiller  come,  as  do  all  chefs- 
d'cBtwres,  as  a  surprise.  Their  gracefulness  and 
poetic  charm  are  captivating.  To  those  who  have 
never  had  the  opportunity  to  examine  a  fine 
collection  of  old  Copenhagen  porcelain  the  dis- 
cover}^ of  these  works  of  art  is  a  revelation.  It 
has  hitherto  been  supposea  that  the  productions 
of  the  little  Danish  factory  were  only  imitative 
of  the  works  of  the  older  and  better-known  German 
factories.  But  to  the  most  superficial  observer 
it  is  at  once  evident  that  here  is  something  at 

once  national  and  beautiful. 

75 


76    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

During  the  ten  years  subsequent  to  the  opening 
of  the  retail  estabhshment  in  Copenhagen,  the 
output  of  the  factory  must  have  been,  very  ex- 
tensive. It  is  interesting  to  find  that  in  1790 
the  Custom  House  regulations  relative  to  the 
subject  are  as  follows  :  "  Foreign  china  is  pro- 
hibited, because  the  manufactory  at  Copenhagen, 
which  is  at  the  charge  of  the  State,  has  been  of 
late  productive  enough  to  supply  the  two  king- 
doms with  an  article  of  luxury,  more  than  of 
necessity.  Painted  earthenware  is  likewise,  pro- 
hibited, from  its  resemblance  to  china  being  so 
great  that  many  may  be  induced  to  purchase  it 
instead  of  a  more  valuable  article ;  but  plain 
earthenware,  being  more  generally  necessary,  is 
allowed,  as  is  also  the  porcelain  brought  over 
by  the  East  India  ships  belonging  to  the  Asiatic 
Company."  , 

A  Contemporary  Account  of  the  Factory. — The 
testimony  of  two  foreign  critics  who  visited  the 
factor}^  in  1790  is  a  valuable  record,  as  they  pro- 
duced authoritative  statistical  volumes  on  Northern 
Europe.  Their  opinion  assists  the  modern  student 
in  forming  an  estimate  of  the  relative  value  of 
the  Royal  Copenhagen  porcelain  as  compared 
with  that  of  the  great  contemporary  factories, 
especially  Meissen.  In  Les  Voyages  de  deux 
Frangois  dans  le  Nord  de  I'Europe  (the  Chevalier 
Louis  de  Boisgehn  and  the  Comte  Alfonse  de 
Fortia),  pubhshed  by  the  latter,  the  trade  and 
manufactures  of  Denmark  receive  full  treatment. 


4 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH  MCLLER  77 

We  quote  from  the  English  edition.  Travels 
through  Denmark  and  Sweden  :  to  which  is  pre- 
fixed a  Journal  of  a  Voyage  down  the  Elbe  from 
Dresden  to  Hamburgh,  including  a  compendious 
historical  account  of  the  Hanseatic  League,  by 
Louis  de  Boisgelin,  Knight  of  Malta,  with  views 
from  drawings  taken  on  the  spot  by  L)r.  Charles 
Parry.  This  was  pubUshed  in  two  quarto  volumes 
in  1810.  The  author  states  that  the  former 
volume  written  by  his  fellow-traveller  is  so  rare 
that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  procure  a  copy 
"  either  of  the  original  edition  or  of  the  counter- 
feit one  produced  in  Germany." 

The  details  in  regard  to  the  factory  as  it  then 
existed  are  very  interesting.  There  were  three 
large  and  two  small  ovens  ;  one  of  these  Wjas  the 
first  employed  by  Miiller  when  he  produced  his 
hard  porcelain.  The  ovens  were  of  brick.  A 
firing  lasted  eighteen  hours.  It  took  four  days 
to  cool.  "  These  ovens  are  capable  of  firing 
eight  complete  services  at  once,  whereas  those 
of  Saxony  cannot  take  in  more  than  three.  The 
fire  here  is  so  well  distributed  that  in  many  of 
the  firings  of  fine  porcelain  the  loss  sustained  is 
scarcely  more  than  ten  rix-dollars." 

After  describing  the  process  of  glazing,  the 
writer  proceeds  to  describe  the  most  important 
operation  of  all,  performed  in  a  room  "  where 
there  is  only  one  man,  who  takes  an  oath  to  have 
no  communication  whatsoever  with  any  other 
workman.     He  works  a  mill  by  hand  in  which 


78    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

he  prepares  the  paste,  and  mixes  the  different 
matters  which  compose  the  glaze."  Of  the  mills 
for  grinding  there  were  two.  The  granite  came 
from  Zealand  ;  "  the  black  is  of  no  use  for  this 
operation,  which  is  not  performed  in  the  same 
manner  as  in  Saxony,  where  the  matter  is  mixed 
without  water,  but  here  it  is  quite  the  contrary. 
By  the  method  employed  in  this  country  there 
is  as  much  made  in  two  hours  as  they  can  possibly 
produce  in  Saxony  in  twenty-four  ;  besides  the 
advantage  of  having  no  occasion  for  sieves." 

A  contemporary  account  such  as  this  by  com- 
petent observers  who  had  visited  other  porcelain 
factories  in  Europe'  and  came  with  the  definite 
object  of  finding  out  as  much  as  possible,  is  of 
supreme  importance  as  a  document.  It  appears 
that  the  blue  which  came  from  Norway  was 
considered  the  finest.  There  was  an  immense 
loft  for  *'  coffins,"  or  cases,  to  be  stored  for  a  year 
before  being  ready  for  use.  These  were  made 
from  Bomholm  clay,  and  were  used  in  the  ovens 
as  "  saggers,"  as  the  term  is  in  English  pott-ery, 
to  contain  the  porcelain.  "  The  moulds  are  made 
of  a  kind  of  plaster  which  comes  from  France. 
This,"  says  the  narrative,  "  is  the  only  foreign 
article  employed  in  the  manufactory." 

In  regard  to  the  overglaze  colours  used  there 
are  some  interesting  facts.  Yellow  is  made  from 
pure  tin  ;  purple,  with  tin  and  gold  ;  dark  poppj^ 
with  iron  ;  sky-blue,,  with  cobalt  ;  black,  with 
manganese ;    rose-colour,    with   gold  ;    and   green. 


FRANTZ  HEINRICH   MILLER         79 

with  copper.  "  These  colours  never  change  in 
firing,  but  remain  precisely  as  they  were  first 
drawn ;  whereas  they  spread  in  many  other 
factories." 

Bearing  in  mind  that  the  travellers  were  com- 
paring the  manufactures  of  one  country  with 
another  in  their  precise  records,  which  excited 
European  interest  in  regard  to  their  statistic 
and  economic  value,  the  praise  of  the  Royal 
Copenhagen  porcelain  makes  the  more  pleasant 
reading.  "  The  Copenhagen  porcelain  is  less 
glassy  than  that  of  China.  The  paste  of  the 
biscuit  is  lighter  and  closer  than  that  of  the  Saxon 
porcelain,  the  white  keeps  its  colour  better,  and 
it  is  easier  to  wash.  In  short,  the  whole  of  this 
manufacture  is  perfectly  well  understood,  and 
carried  on  with  great  spirit  and  diligence.  It 
has  only  been  established  thirteen  years,  and  at 
the  end  of  four  the  storehouses  were  already 
filled  with  a  variety  of  articles.  We  saw  some 
flutes,  for  which  they  asked  seventy  rix-dollars 
each.  These  are  very  just  in  tune,  but  too  heavy 
to  be  played  upon  conveniently  ;  they  are  Hke- 
wise  astonishingly  brittle.  We  were  also  shown 
vases  two  and  a  half  feet  high  most  beautifully 
painted  by  Camrath." 

The  writer  makes  one  extraordinary  statement, 
which  goes  to  show  that  the  finest  works  were 
made  for  rich  people,  and  were  not  seen  by  the 
Danish  people  in  general.  "  The  Copenhagen 
porcelain  is  very  little  known  even  in  Denmark  ; 


80    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

for  the  original  expenses  of  a  manufacture  of  this 
nature  are  such,  that  it  must  necessarily  be  sold 
very  dear  :  it  is  indeed  more  so  at  present'  than 
the  Saxon  china  ;  but  it  is  imagined  the  price 
will  be  lowered  in  a  short  time." 

The  number  of  workmen  employed  at  the 
factory  at  the  time  of  this  inspection  was  three 
hundred,  **  forty  of  whom  were  for  the  painting 
part  of  the  business,  which  we  thought  but  few 
for  that  important  branch." 

In  regard  to  the  director,  Miiller,  himself,  some 
trenchant  criticisms  are  made  as  to  the  poor 
recognition  the  State  had  given  to  so  great  a 
potter.  In  other  factories  there  were  different 
directors,  one  for  the  body  and  glaze,  another 
for  the  ovens  and  firing,  a  third  for  the  artistic 
form,  and  a  fourth  for  the  painting  and  gilding, 
all  of  whom  were  paid  at  a  high  rate.  "  But 
here  M.  Miiller,  an  excellent  chemist,  acts  him- 
self in  these  various  departments,-  and  is  vpry 
shabbily  paid,  having  only  a  salary  of  500  rix- 
dollars.  He  is  also  the  original  inventor  of  this 
manufacture,  and  when  it  is  known  that  he  was 
never  out  of  Copenhagen,  and  consequently  could 
have  had  no  model  to  go  by,  it  is  inconceivable 
to  what  a  degree  of  perfection  he  has  brought  it, 
and  that,  too,  entirely  from  his  own  enlightened 
genius,  \vithout  the  smallest  foreign  assistance." 

Concerning  the  salary  of  Miiller  of  500  rix- 
doUars  per  annum,  it  is  noteworthy  to  observe 
that  at  that  time  the  retail  price  in  Copenhagen 


C  o 
a  2 


5*0 


00^ 


=5  o 
«^ 

u 
I" 

•gis 


I 


81 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MtTLLER  83 

of  a  complete  afternoon  service,  consisting  of  six 
chocolate  cups  with  handles,  twelve  coffee  cups, 
coffee-pot,  teapot  and  dish,  sugar  dish,  tea  caddy 
and  cream  jug,  was  19  rix-dollars  3  marks 
first  quality  blue-and-white,  and  26  rix-dollars 
4  marks  painted  with  natural  flowers.  Miiller's 
yearly  labours  were  evidently  reckoned  as  only 
worth  a  score  of  such  afternoon  services.  Hence 
the   piquant   strictures   of   the  foreign   noblemen. 

The  point  raised  as  to  Muller  not  having  had 
the  smallest  foreign  assistance  may  be  dismissed 
as  somewhat  erroneous.  There  was  Anton  Carl 
Luplau,  who  was  at  the  Fiirstenberg  factory  for 
eighteen  years,  and  who  came  to  Copenhagen 
in  1776 ;  Johan  Christoph  Bayer,  who  was 
born  in  Nuremberg,  and  came  to  Copenhagen 
in  1768,  when  he  was  thirty  years  old  ;  Peter 
Heinrich  Benjamin  Lehmann,  who  was  a  native 
of  Hamburg,  and  came  to  Copenhagen  from  the 
Berlin  factory  in  1780,  and  was  naturalized 
in  1 78 1  ;  Carl  Fridrich  Thomaschefsky,  who 
worked  a  short  time  at  the  factory  ;  and  Martin 
Cadewitz,  who  served  eleven  years  and  died  in 
1791.  But  in  1781,  of  two  hundred  persons 
employed  at  the  factory  only  ten  were  foreigners. 

As  to  whether  Miiller  ever  left  Copenhagen 
the  Count  de  Boisgelin  adds  a  footnote  :  "  Accord- 
ing to  M.  Catteau,  this  was  not  the  fact  ;  we  only 
repeat  what  the  man  told  us  was  the  case."  The 
work  referred  to  is  Le  Tableau  des  Etats  Dannois 
envisages   sous  le  Rapport  du   Mecanisme   Social, 


84    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


par  Jean  Pierre  Catieau,  printed  in  Paris  in  1802 
in  three  volumes. 

It  is  rather  an  interesting  point,  but  the  evi- 
dence is  against  de  BoisgeHn,  for  Miiller  not  only 
visited  Brunswick  when  he  entered  into  negotia- 
tions with  Luplau  to  enter  the  Danish  service, 
but  at  a  slightly  earlier  date  he  made  a  tour  of 
the  German  factories — in  an  assumed  name,  as 
some  accounts  go.  That  he  made  good  use  of 
his  time  is  amply  borne  out  by  the  results  he 
achieved  in  so  short  a  space  of  time  on  his  return 
to  his  native  land. 

There  is  nothing  to  detract  from  the  originaUty 
and  inventiveness  of  his  work.  The  personality 
of  his  genius  illuminates  the  work  of  the  factory. 
He  experienced  as  many  reverses  of  fortune  as 
did  Bernard  Palissy,  and  battled  against  adverse 
circumstances  with  no  less  indomitable  spirit. 
He  conquered  technical  difficulties,  and  experi- 
mented with  clays  and  bodies  and  glazes  and 
pigments  with  hardly  less  assiduity  than  did 
Josiah  Wedgwood. 

A  National  Style  Created. — No  art  is  wholly 
independent  in  origin  or  of  sporadic  growth.  In 
the  early  days  and  the  initial  stages  it  must 
always  be  derivative.  In  ceramic  art  this  applies 
either  to  form  or  decoration,  often  to  both.  The 
form  and  decoration  of  Chinese  blue-and-white 
porcelain  was  the  basis  of  the  school  of  Delft 
faience.  The  scale  pattern  and  the  panel  with 
exotic    birds    were    slavishly    adopted    at    Sevres 


Ml 


FRANTZ  HEINRICH  MULLER         85 

from  Oriental  prototypes.  Similarly  the  older 
European  factories  impressed  their  styles  upon 
factories  of  a  later  growth.  The  crowd  of  German 
factories  came  under  the  direct  influence  of 'Meissen 
in  design  as  well  as  in  technique.  It  is  a  signifi- 
cant fact  that  Copenhagen  porcelain  under  Miiller's 
guiding  spirit  developed  an  original  style  from  the 
first  establishment  of  the  factory.  This  achieve- 
ment should  be  placed  to  Miiller's  credit  in  deter- 
mining his  position  among  European  potters. 
He  did  something  more  than  assimilate  the  tech- 
nique of  Meissen  in  hi^  hard  paste,  and  the  fact 
that  he  was  the  first  man  to  make  real  porcelain 
in  Denmark  is  only  a  part  of  the  honour  (iue  to 
him.  He  created  what  was  far  more  difficult — 
a  national  style. 

Influences  there  undoubtedly  were  bearing  on 
the  form  and  on  the  style  of  decoration  employed 
at  Copenhagen.  Luplau  had  little  technique  to 
learn.  He  came  as  a  maturely  trained  modeller 
from  Fiirstenberg,  which  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  busts  and  statuettes  were  produced  at  a 
much  earlier  date  in  the  history  of  the  Copen- 
hagen than  in  a  factory  having  slowly  to  train  its, 
modellers.  But  undoubtedly  a  close  examination 
of  the  porcelain  of  the  Miiller  period  exhibits  the 
fact  that  there  was  a  fine  reticence  applied  to 
the  form  and  the  decoration  which  stands  out  in 
strong  contrast  to  the  extravagances  and  reckless 
prodigality  of  ornament  employed  by  factories 
with  older  traditions.     The  new  factory  at  Copen- 

5 


86     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


hageii  was  endowed  with  a  sense  of  beauty  from 
the  first.  The  rococo  style  prevalent  then  at 
Meissen  and  dominating  art  is  seldom  found  in 
old  Danish*  porcelain  ;  now  and  again  its  presence 
is  noticeable  and  indicates  that  the  work  is  of 
the  early  experimental  days.  But  Copenhagen 
created  a  characteristic  and  natural  style  of  its 
own,  not  onl}^  in  the  choice  of  Danish  or  Nor- 
wegian subjects,  but  in  its  intense  love  of  nature 
and  of  simple  forms. 

The  whole  series  of  fme  pot-pourri  vases  with 
natural  flowers  in  relief  is  essentially  different 
from  Meissen  examples  where  the  vase  is  over- 
loaded with  fancifully  modelled  flowers  and  leaves. 
The  graceful  form  and  subdued  decoration  of 
Copenhagen  stand  out  in  effective  contrast. 

Moreover,  the  flowers  themselves  were  evidently 
copied  direct  from  nature,  and  are  executed  with 
such  skill  and  refinement  that  they  still  stand  as 
ideals  of  technical  and  artistic  perfection. 

In  regard  to  the  modelling  of  figures,  especially 
those  in  costume,  the  reticence  of  Copenhagen 
is  noticeable  in  comparison  with  the  outre  cavahers 
and  dames  in  crinolines  of  the  Saxon  and  other 
factories.  The  subdued  colouring  and  the  simple 
charm  of  the  Danish  figures  places  them  in  a 
gallery  of  their  own.  Nor  must  this  be  mistaken 
for  insipidity  or  weakness  of  design.  Judged  by 
the  highest  canons  of  art,  the  quaUty  of  such 
creations  indicates  complete  control  and  mastery 
of  technique,  and  art  in  due  subjection. 


ii 


-^\ 


i 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER  '       87 

The  outburst  of  strong  national  intensity,  love 
of  nature,  breadth  of  conception,  and  virility  of 
execution  lasted  at  the  most  for  twenty  years. 
The  verse  on  a  plate  : — 

Enhvcr  sin  Sa'k  iil  Molkn  barer 
Hvor  ttiw^l  den  ham  end  og  besvccrer : 

which  may  be  turned  into  English  : — 

Each  man  lu  iho  mill  musl  bear  his  suck 
Although  the  load  may  break  his  back — 

was  the  leading  precept  of  the  staff  under  IVliiller. 
All  worked  together  with  single-heartedness  of 
purpose,  and  the  result  is  the  admiration  of  all 
who  love  ceramic  art,  purposeful,  and  instinct 
with  grace  and  dignity. 

The  Diversity  of  Designs. — The  illustrations 
accompanying  this  chapter  will  show  the  range 
of  subjects  executed  under  the  masterly  regime 
of  MUller.  At  first  vases  and  services  for  royal 
use  were  made,  but  as  soon  as  the  retail  estab- 
lishment in  1780  enabled  persons  outside  the  royal 
entourage  to  purchase  the  porcelain,  the  feet  of 
the  factory  were  set  on  a  rock.  Similar  forms 
to  those  embelhshed  with  royal  ciphers  and  mono- 
grams and  portraits  were  subsequently  employed 
for  persons  of  lesser  degree. 

The  portrait  of  Miiller  shows  him  to  have  been 
a  keen,  virile,  determii^ed  man,  as  we  know,  of 
endless    resources,    and    possessed    of    abnormal 


88    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

energy.  In  less  than  twenty  years  there  had  been 
a  constant  and  untiring  enthusiasm  in  order  to 
bring  the  factory  to  such  perfection  that  it  would 
be  able  to  compete  with  the  older  and  larger 
factories  of  Meissen,  Berlin,  and  Sevres.  Perhaps 
this  object  was  not  achieved,  inasmuch  as  the 
little  factory  did  not  enter  into  the  lists  to  win 
European  approval,  but  it  succeeded  in  develop- 
ing a  national  style,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  at  the  early  stages  it  worked  on  foreign 
suggestion  and  employed  foreign  artists.  Owing 
to  the  crowd  of  smaller  factories  at  that  date 
assimilating  the  technique  and  copying  the  de- 
signs of  Meissen,  it  has  come  to  be  erroneously 
believed,  owing  to  the  looseness  of  generalization 
by  writers  on  the  subject  and  the  absence  of 
detailed  study  of  Copenhagen  porcelain  of  that 
period,  that  the  Danish  factory  was  another  echo 
of  Meissen  or  Berlin.  The  contemporary  opinion 
of  the  two-  French  counts,  men  of  practised  skill 
in  observation  and  keen  critics  in  regard  to  com- 
paring the  state  of  technique  and  conditions  of 
manufacture  of  one  country  with  another,  comes 
as  a  complete  refutation  to  the  belief  that  Copen- 
hagen was  then  in  the  second  rank. 

In"  regard  to  Miiller's  technical  achievements, 
they  stand  to  this  day  as  a  permanent  record 
of  his  mastery  of  his  art.  The  new  body  which 
he  invented  and  called  "  virgin  paste  "  is  of  a 
clear  dazzling  white,  andjs  covered  with  a  glaze 
transparent  and  smooth  as  polished  crystal,  tinted 


PASTILLE   BURNER   AND   COVER. 


On  tripod  stand  with  modelled  dolphins  as  supports.    Moulded 
cherub   heads,  and  gilded  banded  wreath   in  high  relief.     Per- 
forated cover  surmounted  by  gilded  pine-cone  ornament. 


^  FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER         91 

with  the  green  of  the  sea ;  this  glaze  enhanced 
the  beauty  of  ^the  porcelain.  Considering  the 
impure  materials  then  available,  and  the  primi- 
tive working  methods  (for  instance,  fuel  used  at 
that  time  was  wood,  in  poles  lo  feet  long  of  pine 
and  fir),  the  perfection  and  beauty  of  the  results 
"demand  profound  admiration.  Even  with'  the 
aid  of  modern  technology  and  chemistry  it  has 
not  yet  been  found  possible  at  the  factory  to 
produce  porcelain  equal  in  every  respect  to  the 
old  Miiller  period. 

The  diverse  character  of  the  output  was  stupen- 
dous. It  was  rich  in  design,  varied  and  original 
in  invention,  virile  in  modelling,  and  national  in 
spirit.  The  beautiful  body  invented  by  Miiller 
had  its  decoration  with  his  perfected  overglaze 
colours,  green  and  blue  and  purple.  In  regard 
to  gilding,  the  artistic  ideal  seems  to  have  been 
attained.  It  is  not  possible  to  convey  as  illus- 
trations in  this  volume  the  extraordinary  variety 
aiid  beauty  exhibited  in  this  field.  In  the  cups 
and  saucers  herein  illustrated,  the  fine  quality 
of  the  designs  is  lost  in  translation,  but  these 
borders  of  deep  blue  enriched  with  gilded  designs 
of  the  most  exquisite  character  are  something 
to  marvel  at  in  connection  with  the  work  of  the 
Miiller  period. 

The  creations  of  the  factory  cover  a  wide  range. 
The  versatility  of  the  modellers  and  the  artists 
is  pronouncedly  marked.  It  bespeaks  a  great 
and  proHfic  period  when  ideas  were  not  lacking. 


92  ROYAL  Copenhagen  porcelain 

Evidently  there  was  no  great  searching  after 
novelty,  the  gold  was  not  beatei>  thin,  apparently 
there  was  a  profusion  of  intellectual  force  behind 
the  factory.  The  difference  is  noticeable  as  soon 
as  the  great  period  is  passed,  when  one  falls  on 
barren  ways  and  thinly  eked  out  inventions,  the 
long  years  of  the  dreary  twilight. 

The  love  of  landscape  especially  appealed  to 
Copenhagen.  The  colours  of  the  ceramic  artist 
have  limitations  peculiarly  their  own.  Atmosphere 
is  rare  in  overglaze  painting.  There  is  a  tendency 
to  prettiness  and  an  absence  of  breadth.  But 
with  pigments  so  refractory  there  are  instances 
of  .  work  surprisingly  powerful.  Single  colour 
scenes  fare  best,  and  there  is  one  example  in 
purple,  poor  enough  medium,  which  has  qualities 
almost  suggesting  the  strength  of  a  Dutch  etching, 
as  shown  on  a  cup  and  saucer  in  the  Dansk  Folke 
Museum.  The  picturesque  in  colour  finds  its 
exposition  in  two  octagonal  dishes  with  sporting 
subjects.  The  one  shows  a  man  with  a  hound 
(illustrated,  p.  93),  and  the  other  a  man  with  a 
red  coat  engaged  in  the  pastime  of  hawking. 

Vases  with  .portraits  secured  their  patrons. 
There  is  one  at  the  Kiinstindusiri  Museum  at 
Bergen;  with  the  /portrait  of  G.  W.  Rabener, 
born  at  Leipsic  in  1714  and  died  in  1771,  the 
friend  of  Klopstock,  and  the  good-humoured 
satirist  of  German  bourgeois  society. 

Apart  from  colour  and  decoration,  there  is  the 
fine  modelling.     The  symmetry  of  the  more  im- 


OCTAGONAL  DISH. 

With  figure  subject,  Huntsman  with   hound,  finely  painted  in  colours.    Blue  border 
with  rich  gold  decoration. 


93 


•    •  •. 


t  (' 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH  MULLER 


9; 


portant  vases,  instinct  with  decorative  qualities 
of  the  highest  order,  having  ornament  in  reUef, 
moulded  garlands,  gay  Cupids,  or  mask  handles 
of  some  wood-god,  is  always  paramount.  Rarely 
is  there  a  false  note. 

To  form  and  the  mastery  of  the  difficulties 
and  the  due  observance  of  the  technique  of  the 
potter,  it  is  necessary  to  devote  another  chapteu 
in  which  the  illustrations  convey  sufficient  evi- 
dence to  show  that  projecting  limbs  and  fantastic 
shapes  more  suitable  to  the  metal-worker  were 
eschewed  at  Copenhagen.  The  essentials  of 
ceramics  were  never  lost  sight  of  by  the  band 
of  modellers  working  under  Miiller. 

National  Sentiment. — There  is  a  vein  of  senti- 
ment, very  pleasing  and  very  piquant,  running 
through  much  of  the  work  of  this  period.  It  is 
the  under-note  of  the  potter,  who,  as  other  potters 
of  other  nations  have  before  him,  desired  to 
convey  a  written  message  as  well  as  the  message 
in  line,  in  colour,  and  in  beauty  of  form  that  he 
set  before  his  generation.  Centuries  before  Miiller, 
the  Chinese  potter  revelled  in  his  inscriptions. 
Potters  the  world  over  apparently  are  poets. 
On  an  old  Chinese  porcelain  vase, painted  in  blue, 
with  a  garden  scene  by  moonlight,  the  following 
inscription  in  Chinese  is  found  : — 

"  Heaven  and  earth  are  the  associates  of 
creation,  as  light  and  darkness  are  the  passing 
guests  of  a  hundred  generations.  Fleeting  life  is 
like  a  dream  ;  how  long  do  we  enjoy  it  ?     It  was 


96    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

this  knowledge  that  made  men  in  the  old  days 
trim  the  midnight  lamp.  And  now  Yang  Chun 
invites  us  with  smoke  to  illuminate  the  world 
with  literature,  to  associate  the  fragrant  gardens 
of  the  peach  and  the  plum,  and  to  talk  of  happi- 
ness. All  graciously  join  me,  and  as  they  chant 
and  sing,  I  alone  am  ashamed ;  they  become 
vivacious,  I  in  solitude  rejoice.  With  loud  talk 
they  grow  merry ;  a  scholar's  feast  is  spread,  and 
sitting  amid  the  flowers  we  pass  the  goblet  quickly 
and  drink  till  we  are  drunken.  When  the  moon 
is  not  in  its  splendour,  how  fcan  one  expatiate  on 
its  ecstasy  ?  But  if  my  verses  are  not  perfect  I 
am  fined  the  customary  gold  and  the  embarrass- 
ing wine." 

Here  is  the  Chinese  potter — almost  Viking-like 
in  his  song  of  the  wine-cup  in  place  of  the  wassail- 
bowl.  Or  shall  it  be  the  Persian  astronomer-poet 
Omar  Khayyam  with  his — 

The  Grape  that  can  with  Logic  absolute 
The  Two-and-seventy  jarring  Sects  confute : 

The  subtle  Alchemist  that  in  a  Trice 
Life's  leaden  Metal  into  Gold  transmute. 

The  Staffordshire  potters  to  a  man  loved  a 
rhymed  couplet  on  a  jug  or  mug  or  punch-bowl, 
and  their  crude  efforts  amuse  the  latter-day 
collector.  Their  subjects  were  varied  in  character 
— loyalty,  naval  victories,  courtship,  and  convivi- 
ality, with  a  smack  of  religion,  as,  for  instance  :— 

Drink  to  live  and  live  to  die 
That  you  may  live  eternally. 


.r  —  *<; 


I 


■5  ^ 


1  I 


1 5 


97 


'•:  :  '•• 


1 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   Mb'LLER         99 

There  are  many  pretty  sentiments  found  on 
Miiller's  ware.  We  have  already  quoted  one 
(p.  87),  and  there  are  many  mottoes  inscribed 
in  Danish  on  the  porcelain  of  his  period.  There 
is  the  long  inscription  on  the  cup  with  his  portrait 
(see  p.  69),  and  there  are  others  which  we  have 
translated  as  follows  : — 

Art  bends  nature  to  herself  that  clay 
By  magic  is  transformed  to  gold  alway  ; 

and  an  inscription  on  another  example,  translated, 
runs : — 

Long  live  the  King,  and  glorious  be  his  reign ; 
Long  live  ourselves  to  drink  this  toast  again. 

In  the  collection  at  Rosenborg  Castle  there  is  a 
cup  and  saucer  upon  which  the  letter  F  is  painted 
in  forget-me-nots.  It  is  dated  November  22,  1797, 
with  this  inscription  : — 

Uforglemmelige  tingdomsaar  for  mig! 
(Years  of  youth,  unforgettable  for  me  !) 

We  wonder  for  whom  this  initial  F  stands.  The 
permanently  abiding  sentiment  enshrined  behind 
the  glass  case  is  to-day  as  fresh  as  the  forget- 
me-nots.  What  romance  lies  hidden  in  these  four 
Danish  words  burnt  into  the  clay  ?  But  the 
records  are  silent,  and  F  the  giver  or  the  receiver 
is  turned  into  dust,  while  the  potter's  clay  stands 
to  symbolize  an  old-world  story  of  the  days  when 
youthful  ambitions  and  dreams  lit  up  the  memory. 


100    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


TABLE  OF  MARKS  ^ 

Foand  on  Royal  Copenhagen  porcelain  with  decoration  painted 
ovcrglaze  of  the  Frantz  Hcinrich  Mtiller  period  (1775-1801). 

These  signatures  and  initials  of  painters  and 
modellers,  either  painted  or  incised,  are  found 
in  conjunction  with  the  usual  factory  mark  of 
the  three  bkie  lines. 

General 

The  usual  Factory  Mark,  in  blue,  found  alone 
or  in  addition  to  painter's  or  modeller's  signature 
or  initials. 

This  mark  was  adopted  at  the  suggestion  of 
Queen  JuUane  Marie  in  1775,  and  symbolizes  the 
three  waterways  of  Denmark — the  Sound,  and 
the  Great  and  Little  Belts. 


This  mark  has  been  used  on  all  porcelain  made 
at  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory,  both  with 
overglaze  and  underglaze  painted  decoration, 
since  that  date. 

'  These  marks  are  strictly  copyriglit. 


FRANTZ  HETNRICH   MULLSR        lOl 

N.B. — From  1773-1775  the  porcx?lairi' -of' -tKe 
Copenhagen  factory  made  by  Miiller  bore  no 
mark. 

Signature  of  Anton  Carl  Luplau,  who  came  to 
Copenhagen  in  1776,  and  died  in  1795. 

A  Bust  of  Queen  Juliane  Marie  at  Rosenborg 
Castle  bears  this  signature  on  base  : — 


4 


Signature  of   Hans  Clio,   who  was  working  at 
the  factory  prior  to  1779,  and  who  died  in  1786. 


3t\G&(^, 


c^ 


Peter  Heinrich  Benjamin  Lehmann.  Came  to 
the  factory  in  1780.  Died  1808.  Painter  of 
landscapes,  figures,  and  birds. 


Signature  of  Hans  Christopher  Ondrup  (1779- 
1787).  Sometimes  signed  Ondrup  mahlt  {On- 
drup painted  it).  Painted  signature  frequently 
in  red. 


102    llOYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

This,  signature  in  full  has  been  traced  from  an 
example  in  the  collection  of  Count  Chr.  Dannes- 
kjold-Samsoe,  at  Gissenfeldt. 

Signature,  of  Andreas  Hald  (1781-1797),  modeller 
and  sculptor.  Frequently  marked  .his  pieces  in 
full  or  with  initials  AH  incised.  In  some  instances 
his  initials  are  painted  in  blue  on  side  of  base, 
as  in  Figure  of  Flute  Player  (illustrated,  p.  127). 


Jt.J6. 


Jesper  Johansen  Holm.  Born  1747.  Member 
of  Royal  Academy.  Incised  mark,  HOLM  1780 
on    Statuette    at    National    Museum,    Stockholm. 


FRANTZ   HEINKICH   MULLEH         108 

(See  illustration,  p.  115.)  I  HOLM  1781  incised 
marked  on  a  Bust  of  Prince  Frederik  at  Kunst- 
industri  Museum,  Copenhagen. 

Signature  of  Johan  Christoph  Bayer.  Came  to 
Copenhagen  in  1768.  Died  1812.  Landscape 
painter,  followed  the  style  of  Johann  Christoph 
Dietsche,  of  Nuremberg  (1710-1769).  Engaged  on 
painting  the  flowers  in  the  Flora  Danica  service. 


^  ■  (t.  ^OAJer' 


.  The    mark    of    Jacob    Schmidt,    modeller    and 
sculptor.      He  was,  in  1779,  a  pupil  at  the  factory 


^ 


II! 


in  his  fourteenth  year.      He  died  in  1807.     Many 
of  his  pieces  have  his  initials  incised.     An  example 


104     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

at  the  Dansk  Folke  Museuniy  Copenhagen,  has 
this  mark  together  with  the  three  hnes  incised, 
which  is  an  exceedingly  rare  mark. 

Incised  mark  on  a  cream  cup  and  cover  at  the 
Kimstindustri  Mtiscum,  Copenhagen,  decorated 
with  purple  flowers  and  rococo  ornamentation, 
gilded,  and  having  scale-pattern  in  red.  This 
mark  (signifying  that  the  piece  belongs  to  the 
Christian  VII  era)  is  unusual.  This  may  be 
conjectured  to  be  a  specimen  made  by  Miiller 
prior  to  1775,  that  is,  before  the  adoption  of  the 
mark  of  the  three  blue  lines. 


The  incised  mark  of  Hans  Meehl,  who  was  a 
modeller  at  the  factory  in  1791.  This  mark  is 
found  on  a  polychrome  Figure  of  a  Man  in  national 
costume  (Norsk  Bjergmund),  at  the  Kimstindustri 
Museum,  Copenhagen. 


This  mark  is  incised  on  the  base  of  a  polychrome 
figure  of  a  Woman  with  Hens  at  the  Knnstindustri 
Museum,  Copenhagen. 


/H 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLEK        105 


LIST  OF  LEADING  PAINTERS  AND 
MODELLERS  ^ 

Who  worked  at  the  Royal  factory  under  the  Direction  of  Frantr 
Heinrich  Muller  (1773-1801). 

Anton  Carl  Luplau.     1776-1795. 

Was  at  the  Fiirstcnberg  factory  for  eighteen 
years.  Muller  visited  Luplau  at  Brunswick 
in  1776,  and  on  November  14th  an  agreement 
was  signed,  and  Luplau  joined  the  Copenhagen 
factory  as  modelling-master.  He  died  in 
1795.  He  was  a  perfect  craftsman.  Many 
of  his  pieces  were  signed,  e.g.  the  Bust  of 
Queen  Juliane  Marie.  Luplau  made  many  of 
the  models  for  the  Flora  Danica  service,  and 
executed  20  Norwegian  types  after  the  well- 
known  sandstone  figures  at  Frcdensborg. 

Claus  Tvede.     1775-1783. 

Sculptor  and  modeller  at  the  factory.  He 
is  supposed  to  have  made  the  Statuette  of 
the  Hereditary  Prince  Frederik  after  the 
design  by  Ludovico  Grossi,  which  piece  bears 
the  initials  of  the  modeller  Andreas  Hald. 

Johan  Christoph  Bayer.    1776-1812. 

^orn  in  Nuremberg  1738.  Came  to  Den- 
mark in  1768.     Agreement  signed  on  Novem- 

'  For  the  leading  facts  contained  herein,  I  am  indebted  to  Professor 
Karl  Madsen  in  his  article  in  Tidsskrift  for  Kunst Industrie  1893. 


106    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

ber  i6,  1776,  when  he  entered  the  service  of 
the  factory.  He  died  in  his  seventy-fifth 
year,  in  1812.  Landscape  painter  ;  followed 
the  style  of  Johann  Christoph  Dietsche, 
Nuremberg  landscape  painter  (1710-1769). 
Executed  drawings  for  Holmskj  old's  book 
on  Danish  Fungi.  Entrusted  with  the  work 
of  flower  painting  on  the  Flora  Danica  service. 


Hans  Clio.     Working  before  1779.     Died  in  1786. 

Painter.  Appointed  drawing-master  to 
train  the  pupils  at  the  factory.  His  signa- 
ture appears  on  some  of  the  porcelain  with 
landscapes  painted  by  him. 

Lars  Hansen.     1777-1800. 

Born  in  1739.  In  1777  he  is  noted  as  being 
one  of  the  best  painters  in  blue  underglaze 
ware.     He  died  in  1800. 

Jacob  Schmidt.     1779-1807. 

Born  in  1764.  Modeller  and  sculptor.  At 
factory  in  1779  as  pupil  in  modelling  in  his 
fourteenth  year.  Many  of  his  pieces  are 
marked   with   his   initials   incised. 


Hans  Christoph  Ondrup.     1779-1787.     - 

Painter.       His     signature,    or    his     initials, 
painted  in  red,  is  found  on  several  pieces. 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH   MULLER        107 

Peter  Heinrich  Benjamin  Lehmann.  1780-1808. 

Bom  in  1752  at  Hamburg.     Came  to  the 

factory  from  Berlin  in  1780.     Was,  naturalized 

in  1781  and  died  in  1808.     He  was  a  painter 

of  landscapes,  figures,  and  birds. 

G.  Kalleberg.     1780-1810. 

Modeller  of  figures  and  repousse  worker.  He 
appears  to  have  had  a  large  share  in  the  pro- 
duction of  figures  and  moulds,  and  there  is 
presumptive  evidence  that  his  work  was  of  a 
superlative  character. 

Jesper  Johans^n  Holm.     1780-1802. 

Modeller.  Born  in  1747.  Member  of  the 
Royal  Academy.  Trained  by  Wiedevelt,  the 
sculptor.  His  statuettes  are  finely  executed. 
See  A  Hero  (with  I  HOLM  1780  incised  mark), 
illustrated,  p.  115,  at  National  Museum, 
Stockholm,     He  became  model-master  in  1802. 

Abildgaard.     1780- 

Danish  artist  and  sculptor,  returned  to 
Copenhagen  from  Continental  travels  in  1777, 
and  brought  new  impulses.  Consulted  as 
adviser  to  factory  in  regard  to  art  matters 
and  correctness  of  modelling. 

Martin  Cadewitz.     1780-1791. 

Served  eleven  years  at  factory.  Died  in 
1791. 

6 


108    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

JoHAN  Camrath,  Senior.     1780-1796. 

Portrait  painter.  Executed  work  for  the 
factory  till  1796.  Died  in  1814,  in  his  seventy- 
sixth  year.  He  was  engaged  on  fine  vases, 
and  painted  grey  medallion  panel  portraits 
of  Queen  Juliane  Marie,  and  other  royalties, 
for  important  pieces.  There  is  a  small  cup 
at  Rosenborg  Castle  with  the  portrait  of 
P.  A.  Heiberg  painted  by  him.  He  was  not 
permanently  at  the  factory,  but  undertook 
work    of    a    highly    artistic    nature. 

NicoLAj  Christian  Faxoe.     1783-1810. 

Born  in  1762.  Pupil  at  the  factory  in 
painting,  1783.  Flower  painter.  Worked  at 
the  factory  till  his  death  in   1810. 

SoREN  Preus.     1784- 

Modeller.  Executed  the  delicate  flowers  in 
relief  on  vases,  baskets,  and  groups.  The 
vases  with  Cupids  and  garlands,  and  the 
magnificent  vase,  with  portrait  of  Queen 
Juliane  Marie  painted  by  Camrath,  having 
a  Cupid  seated  on  body  of  vase  amidst  a 
garland  of  exquisitely  moulded  flowers  and 
two  lions  finely  modelled  on  cover,  is  the 
work  of  Soren  Preus. 

The  baskets  of  flowers  and  bouquets  and 
ornaments  in  the  dessert  centre  pieces  of 
the  Flora  DaJiica  service  suggest  his  master- 
hand. 


FRANTZ   HEINRICH  MULLER        109 

Elias  Meyer.     1785-1809. 

Born  in  1763  at  Copenhagen,  trained  at 
Dresden.  Flower  and  landscape  painter.  He 
occasionally  marked  pieces  with  his  name. 
His  work  is  not  in  the  first  flight.  He  died 
in  1809  as  member  of  the  Royal  Academy. 

M.  Meyer,     i 784-1792. 

This  artist  was  mentioned  in  conjunction 
with  Camrath  by  Count  Louis  de  Boisgelin, 
who  visited  the  factory  thirteen  years  after 
it  had  been  founde(^.  M.  Meyer  "  is  much 
esteemed  for  the  beauty  of  his  designs."  It 
appears  that  both  he  and  Camrath  were  not 
actually  in  the  factory  service  on  a  fixed 
salary,  but  received  payment  for  each  piece 
executed. 

Andreas  Hald.     1781-1797. 

Modeller  and  sculptor.  This  artist  modelled 
a  number  of  gracefully  conceived  figures.  He 
frequently  signed  his  work  either  A.  Hald 
or  with  initials,  incised,  sometimes  initials 
painted  in  blue,  as  on  figure  of  Flute  Player. 
See  illustration,  p.  127. 

JoHAN  Arentz.     1786-1796. 

N.  Bau.     1791-1820. 

Landscape    painter,    animals    and    figures, 
genre  subjects  of  peasants,  and  also  silhouettes. 


110    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN.  PORCELAIN 

Bau  was  the  head  painter  from   1812.     He 
died  in  1820. 

Many  of  his  landscape  subjects  are  painted 
in  purple. 

Johannes  Ludvig  Camrath,  Junior.     1794- 

Flower  and  fruit  painter.  Born  in  1779. 
Became  pupil  at  factory  in  1794.     Died  in  1849. 

Carl  Fridrich  Thomaschefsky.     1780- 

This  painter;  originally  trained  at  Berlin, 
worked  only  a  short  time  at  the  factory.  A 
colleague  of  Lehmann. 

Raben  Svardahlyn.  Hans  Jacob  Hansen. 
Christian  Ahrensborg.  Matthias  Wol- 
strup.    schaltz. 

These  painters  were  engaged  on  the  under- 
glaze  mussel-blue  painted  ware  during  the 
Miiller  regime,  together  with  Lars  Hansen, 
who,  in  1777,  was  considered  the  leading 
painter  in  this  style. 


i 


CHAPTER  IV 

FIGURE  SUBJECTS 
AND  GROUPS 
(1780-1820) 


CHAPTER   IV 

FIGURE   SUBJECTS   AND   GROUPS 

{1780-1820) 

The  inauguration  of  new  impulses,  1780 — ^Luplau,  the 
modelling-master — The  figure  subjects  of  Kalleberg 
— Classification  of  figure  subjects — Old  Copenhagen 
figures,  their  national  character — The  last  days  of 
Miiller. 

Apart  from  the  royal  busts  and  statuettes,  the 
sumptuous  vases  with  portraits  of  royalties,  and 
the  magnificent  services  made  for  royal  use  or 
for  some  important  personage,  culminating  in  the 
great  and  extensive  Flora  Danica  service,  there 
were  other  examples,  notably  figure  subjects  and 
groups,  often  of  a  minor  character,  and  vases  and 
services  of  less  splendour  in  their  decoration  but 
not  of  inferior  character. 

The  date  of  these  may  be  determined  as  subse- 
quent to  the  year  1780,  when  a  retail  establishment 
was  opened  in  Copenhagen  in  the  heyday  of 
Miiller's  triumph,  for  the  sale  of  the  factory  pro- 
ductions. An  outburst  of  popular  feeling  hailed 
this   adventure   with   delight.     The   chronicles   of 

113 


lU  ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


the  time  are  full  of  the  subject.  Hitherto  great 
and  important  pieces  were  made  under  the  Court 
patronage  of  Queen  Juliane  Marie  and  of  Prince 
Frederik,  her  son,  and  important  subjects  were 
executed,  giving  to  this  period  a  character  and 
dignity  riot  surpassed  by  many  of  the  older  factories. 
But  the  royal  factory  now  became  the  national 
factory.  Henceforth  merchants,  burghers,  the 
professional  classes,  and  the  Danish  public  in 
general  were  enabled  to  see  a  permanent  exhibition 
of  the  ware  of  the  Royal  Porcelain  Factory,  and  to 
purchase  or  give  orders  for  a  national  ware  which, 
naturally,  was  supplanting  the  use  of  all  others 
in  the  country.  In  the  year  1790  the  importa-r 
tion,  of  any  foreign  porcelain  save  Chinese  was 
prohibited  ty  law. 

From  1780  to  1790  one  may  expect  to  find  the 
factory  in  full  enjoyment  of  success,  particularly 
in  regard  to  its  manufacture  and  sale  of  utilitarian 
blue  fluted  services,  underglaze  painted,  and  of 
small  figures  and  vases,  overglaze  painted,  of  a 
less  magnificent  character,  designed  for  use  and 
ornament  in  the  home  rather  than  representative 
of  types  more  fitted  for  presents  to  foreign  princes 
and  plenipotentiaries.  In  1790  Miiller  was  fifty- 
eight  years  of  age.  In  1801  he  had  retired  from 
the  factory. 

This  chapter,  while  including  important  figures 
and  groups,  deals  with  types  of  a  class  which  may 
be  termed  as  in  the  second  flight  of  Miillef's 
artistic   triumphs,    and   be   it   said   much   of   the 


STATUETTE  ENTITLED   A   HERO. 

With  incised  Mark  ",y^  and  three  blue  lines  painted. 
Height  12J  inches. 

(A^  the  Natiofial  Museum,  Stockholm.) 


115 


•'    •"•  •        •  •    •    ^       o      • 

•  •  .  •••••••     » 


«  *    "  •,7  •  .j, 


FIGURE   SUBJECTS   AND   GROUPS^  ,117 

work  is  contemporary  with  more  ambitious 
creations  equal  in  character  to  some  of  the  finest. 

As  many  of  these  minor  pieces  are  dated  and 
others  have  the  signature  of  the  artist  or  modeller, 
it  is  possible  to  arrive,  with  some  degree  of 
accuracy,  at  the  period  of  their  manufacture. 
Contemporary  with  all  these  overglaze  painted 
examples  of  the  factory  one  must  not  lose  sight 
of  the  fact  that  the  mussel-blue  underglaze  painted 
ware  was  continuously  being  made.  New  forms 
were  being  added,  and  its  decoration  with  the 
"  Danish  pattern  "  adhered  closely  to  the  original 
floral  motif  now  perennial  to  the  ware. 

Luplau,the  Modelling  Master. — In  regarding  the 
figure  subjects,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  foreign  assistance  which  Muller  called  in  at 
the  inception  of  the  factory  had  not  a  Httle  influ- 
ence on  the  early  and  sure  production  of  figures 
which  could  not  have  been  attempted  without 
experienced  supervision.  Under  Anton  Carl 
Luplau,  the  modelling-master  who  came  to 
Copenhagen  from  the  Fiirstenberg  factory,  where 
he  had  spent  eighteen  years,  the  early  stages  of 
the  Copenhagen  modelling  show  a  completer 
mastery  of  the  technique  than  is  usually  exhibited 
by  so  young  a  factory. 

But  design  and  modelling,  excellent  though 
they  undoubtedly  were  in  the  hands  of  Luplau, 
were  only  factors  in  the  problem  towards  perfected 
results.  The  body,  the  glaze,  and  the  colours 
were   Miiller's.      Nor  is   it   to   be   supposed   that 


118    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


Luplau  contributed  more  than  the  idea,  practical 
without  doubt,  but  it  is  improbable  that  he 
carried  his  supervision  beyond  the  plastic  stages. 
All  credit  is  due  to  him  for  instilling  the  principles 
of  fine  lines  and  graceful  forms  into  the  minds  of 
tjie  young  potters.  But  it  was  Miiller  by  day 
and  by  night,  with  long  vigils,  often  all  night,  at 
the  ovens  with  his  workmen  whom  he  was  training 
to  control  the  caprice  of  the  furnace,  who  seized 
the  situation  and  gladly  profited  by  experience 
in  his  uphill  struggle  to  establish  Jiis  factory  in 
the  face  of  all  difficulties.  Miiller  had  the  genius 
of  *'  moulding  men  in  plastic  circumstance."  Nor 
was  Luplau  the  swan  he  is  sometimes  thought 
to  have  been.  There  is  a  suggestion  in  one  of 
Miiller's  letters  to  the  board  of  management  of 
the  factory  which  illuminates  the. inner  history. 
Speaking  of  Luplau,  and  probably  the  old  story 
— the  cost  of  production — he  says  :  "  On  the  con- 
trary, he  demands  extra  payment  for  any  work 
which  he  does  himself,  and  as  the  factory  cannot 
afford  this,  most  of  the  figures  and  moulds  are 
made  by  Kalleberg,  and  in  this  work  Luplau 
appears  to  take  a  very  small  share." 

The  Figure  Subjects  of  Kalleberg. — The  fertility 
of  the  early  Copenhagen  period  when  master- 
pieces, full  of  charm  and  perfect  in  style,  rapidly 
appeared  one  after  another  in  a  short  but  crowded 
period,  has  puzzled  students  of  the  old  period. 
To  accept  Luplau  as  the  creator  of  them  all,  is 
to  believe  him  classic  and  precise,  and  at  the  same 


OS 

1 

o 
a: 

2-^ 

5' 

«|, 

S 

o 

1^ 

o  c 

1 

■J) 

u 

1 
."a 

CD 

5f«M 

••^» 

^ 

iu 

2S 

o 

.=  'M 

<v> 

^ 

C'C 

"S 

H 

ex 

V. 

s 

119 


•->•  •    <' 


FIGURE   SUBJECTS    AND  GROUPS     121 

moment  capable  of  transforming  his  style  into 
elegant,  restrained  creations  of  gaiety  and  fanciful 
forms  in  due  subjection.  To  omit  the  subtle 
and  critical  examination  of  style  is  to  fall  into 
the  pit  which  contains  those  curious  mortals  who 
believe  the  exact,  terse,  and  laboured  prose  of 
Bacon  to  be  by  the  author  of  A  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream  and  Hamlet.  To  such,  it  is  possible 
to  credit  Julius  Caesar  with  having  written  the 
ode  of  Horatius  Flaccus  to  Lyde. 

There  is  some  mystery  as  to  the  designer  of 
the  dancing  figures,  the  flute-player,  the  lady  at 
the  tea-table,  the  Copenhagen  group,  the  Nor- 
wegian dalemen  in  Fredensborg,  the  mountain-men, 
and  certain  dainty  Cupids.  They  differ  entirely 
from  Laplau's  productions  in  every  respect,  and 
stand  far  above  them  in  artistic  merit.  The 
late  Professor  Krohn,  whose  patient  researches, 
on  this  and  other  vexed  questions  concerning  old 
, Copenhagen  porcelain,  were  unfortunately  broken 
off  by  his  untimely  death,  was  of  the  opinion 
that  these  figure  subjects  were  the  work  of  the 
repousse  worker  Kalleberg.  Authentic  confirma- 
tion is  lacking,  other  than  the  letter  above  quoted 
Until  further  evidence  is  forthcoming  and  further 
investigations  are  made  into  the  Miiller  period, 
we  must  accept  the  authentic  pronouncement  by 
Miiller  as  the  last  word  on  the  subject. 

In  regard  to  the  employment  of  foreigners,  it 
is  certain  that  the  experiment  was  not  a  success. 
Five   workmen   were   inveigled   from    Meissen   in 


122    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

1776.  Out  of  the  five,  probably  induced  by 
monetary  considerations  to  quit  the  Meissen 
factory,  two  did  not  make  an  appearance  in 
Copenhagen.  Of  the  three  who  came,  it  seems 
that  only  one  showed  any  great  talent.  It  would 
appear,  too,  that  they  exhibited  an  arrogance 
that  stirred  up  strife  in  the  factory.  They 
received  higher  w^ages  than  the  Danish  workmen 
and  began  to  assume  correspondingly  superior 
manners,  with  the  belief  that  the  factory  could 
not  proceed  without  them.  But  Miiller  speedily 
put  an  end  to  this  state  of  affairs  by  closing 
the  factory  gates  against  them,  and  when  they 
attempted  to  break  in,  he  had  them  turned  out 
by  force.  With  these  experiences  in  mind,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  when,  at  a  later  date, 
some  English  workmen  from  the  Wedgwood 
factory  desired  employment,  they  received  scanty 
consideration. 

Classification    of    Figure    Subjects. — The     figure  j 
subjects  under  examination  in  this  chapter  may 
be  divided  into  the  following  groups  : — 

Portrait     Busts     and     Statuettes     and     Classic 
figures,  in  biscuit — 

such  as  those  of  Queen  Juliane  Marie  and 
the  Hereditary  Prince  Frederik,  and  the 
statuette  of  A  Hero  at  the  National  Museum, 
Stockholm  (illustrated,  p.  115). 

Ornamental  subjects,  in  white — 

such  as  the  centre-piece  with  the  supporting 


FIGURE   GROUP   (OXE   OF   A   PAIK). 

Painted   in  overglaze   colours.     Period   1780-1790.     Marked  with 
three  blue  lines.     Height  c)i  inches. 

{From  the  collection  of  the  late  Hr.  B.  Hirschsprung) 


123 


FIGURE   SUBJECTS    AND   GROUPS     125 

Cupids  at  the  Dansk  Folke  Museum, 
Copenhagen,  and  the  remarkably  fine  vases, 
4  feet  high,  at  Frederiksborg,  having 
powerfully  modelled  groups  of  female 
classic  figures.  . 

Classic    figures    and     subjects,    decorated    /in 
colours,  overglaze — 

such  as  the  group  Flora  and  Minerva  by 
Jacob  Schmidt  and  Sea  Horses  at  the 
National  Museum,  Stockholm  (illustrated, 
p.  119). 

Romantic    subjects   in   costume,   decorated    in 
colours,  overglaze — 

such  as  Lovers  with  Cupid  and  Garlands 
(illustrated,  p.  123),  and  small  figures 
of  women  and  children  ia  fanciful  costume. 
There  is  at  Frederiksborg  Castle  a  group 
— Chinese  Woma^i  and  Chinaman,  who  is 
offering  her  a  basket  of  fruit.  This 
Oriental  subject  is  very  rare.  Marked  with 
three  lines  underglaze  in  blue,  but  the 
yellow  overglaze  pigment  on  base  has 
turned  the  blue  into  three  green  lines. 

Figure  subjects  in  correct  contemporary  cos- 
tume— practically  a  ceramic  gallery  faithfully 
reflecting  the  social  character  of  the  period — 
such  as  the  Flute  Player,  the  Lady  and 
Gentleman  dancing,  the  Beggar,  and  an 
especially  fine  series  of  peasant  types  in  old 
costume,  engaged  at  their  various  vocations 
— e.g.    two   groups    of   Norwegian   Miners, 


126    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

with  black  costume  and  green  caps,  with 
C7  in  gold  (at  Frederiksborg  Castle).  The 
Wo7nan  with  Hens,  in  Norwegian  costume, 
a  Market  Woman  with  Fowls,  a  Lobster- 
seller.  Woman  selling  Fruit,  Woman  milk- 
ing Cow.  Figures  in  naval  and  military 
uniform,  and  many  others. 

Old  Copenhagen  Figures — their  National  Char" 
acter. — Li  regard  to  the  series  of  figures  in 
contemporary  costume,  there  is  an  air  about 
them  which  stamps  them  at  once  as  being  the 
work  of  the  old  Copenhagen  factory.  They  are 
practically  portrait  studies,  with  that  added  touch 
of  poetic  charm  which  fits  them  for  their  place 
among  the  gods  of  the  china  cabinet. 

They  challenge  comparison  with  the  work  of 
other  European  factories.  Kandler,  the  modeller 
at  Meissen,  in  what  is  styled  the  Krinolinengriippen\ 
period  in  mid  eighteenth-century  days,  produced 
figures  of  lovers  and  ladies  in  rich  costumes. 
They  belong  to  that  impossible  world  of  the 
china-shelf,  of  shepherds  and  shepherdesses  and 
bending  cavaliers  and  gay  ladies,  conjured  up  in 
the  fertile  brain  of  the  potter.  They  invaded 
France  and  they  conquered  England  in  the  glorious 
days  of  Derby  and  Chelsea.  But  with  a  few 
notable  exceptions  they  did  not  penetrate  to 
Copenhagen. 

The  groups  of  Lovers  with  Cupids  and  chains  of 
roses  are  two  examples  of  this  romantic  niovement 


a. 


•a     -^ 


c    o 

.S   '0 


5  I 

6  rt 
OS 

O 


127 


'•!"  m     n       •    '     » 


Kt4  •  •        « 

.  •  •  •      •• 


'#•    '    -r    -      •- 


I 


FIGURE   SUBJECTS  AND    GROUPS    129 

which  came  into  the  world  of  ceramics,  a  reflex 
of  the  decorative  art  of  fashionable  Court  painters, 
who  invented  a  topsy-turvy  world  of  make- 
believe. 

The  quiet  strength  and  the  subdued  restraint 
of  the  old  Copenhagen  figures  stand  out  in  con- 
trast to  this  outburst  of  fanciful  exuberance.  The 
note  of  fidelity  is  as  apparent  in  the  figures  in 
costume  of  the  Miiller  period  as  it  is  noticeable 
in  regard  to  floral  decorations  and  modelled 
foliage  taken  direct  from  nature.  Nor  does  this 
betray  a  want  of  imagination  or  a  lack  of  ideality 
in  choice  of  figure  subjects.  If  it  be  classic,  there 
is  poetry  in  the  statuette  of  A  Hero,  or  a  loose 
rein  is  given  by  the  modeller  to  his  Sea  Horses^ 
a  poet's  vision  of  the  sea  rollers  leaping  shore- 
wards  from  the  Baltic.  The  fashion  for  the 
romantic  did  eventually  tinge  the  Copenhagen 
atelier.  Some  of  the  little  figures  are  graceful, 
retiring,  modest  examples  of  the  movement.  It 
is  true  they  are  decked  in  impossible  costumes, 
but  the  mode  has  in  the  transplantation  acquired 
simpHcity  and  reticence.  Some  of  them  sug- 
gest, in  porcelain,  the  quaint  charm  of  Kate 
Greenaway's  world  of  picturesque  children. 

Of  the  gallery  of  contemporary  life  the  Copen- 
hagen figures,  in  the  main,  are  faithful  likenesses. 
The  dancing  cavalier  and  lady  (see  Frontispiece) 
represent  persons  who  actually  did  dance  as  they 
are  modelled.  There  is  nothing  added  except 
that   touch   of  the  modeller's  genius  in  catching 


130    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

the  rhythmical  pose  of  the  poetry  of  motion  which 
crystaUizes  them  as  a  work  of  art.  The  Flute 
Player  is  equally  caught  in  the  act,  natural  and 
unobtrusive.  There  is  nothing  affected  in  his 
attitude  or  in  his  costume  (illustrated,  p.  127). 
It  is  such  traits  as  these  which  endear  the  old 
Copenhagen  figures  to  connoisseurs.'  The  glaze 
is  rich  and  liquid  and  the  colours  are  subdued 
in  tone  and  appeal  to  lovers  of  subtlety  in  art. 
Whatever  extraneous  influences  in  art  press 
upon  the  work  of  the  Danish  potters,  there  is  a 
process  of  refining  which  they  seemingly  undergo, 
and  in  so  doing 

Suffer  a  sea  cliange 
Into  something  rich  and  strange. 

As  may  be  imagined,  these  old-world  figure 
are  much  treasured  by  Danish  collectors,  who 
realize  that  they  represent  a  national  phase  of 
art  and  form  a  record  of  quaint  and  forgotten 
costume.  The  sellers  in  the  market-place,  the 
women  with  fowls,  the  fisherman  with  the  striped 
jersey  and  shiny  hat  familiar  in  old  prints  of  our 
own  sailormen,  and  the  Admiral  with  his  speaking 
trumpet — it  might  be  the  great  Fischer  himself, 
of  the  days  when  fleets  were  sweeping  the  North 
Sea  and  the  Baltic — come  with  peculiar  associations 
from  bygone  days. 

The  Last  Days  of  Miiller.  —  The  illustrations 
herein  given  cover  this  diverse  field  and  serve 
to    indicate  the  versatility  of  the  modellers  who 


FIGURES  IN   CONTEMPORARY  NAVAL  AND  MILITARY  UNIFORMS. 
Decorated  in  colour. 

(From  the  collection  oj  His  Excellency  the  late  M.  de  Bille.) 


•  ••  •  •  • 


133 


•  •  •• 


•  •  •  •    •••'.;  % 


■ 


FIGURE  SUBJECTS  AND   GROUPS     135 

worked  during  the  Muller  period.  The  peasant 
types  and  some  of  the  smaller  figures  belong  to 
the  latter  days  of  the  Muller  regime.  Although 
Muller  retired  from  the  factory  in  1801,  he  kept 
in  touch  with  what  was  in  progress.  His  hand 
may  not  have  been  on  the  helm,  but  he  had  spirit 
enough  left  in  his  retirement  to  burst  forth  with 
pungent  criticisms  upon  the  later  methods  pur- 
sued, and  there  is  no  doubt  the  old  veteran  was 
frequently  consulted  by  those  upon  whom  his 
niantle  had  fallen.  The  fiery  spirit  of  Miiller, 
proof  against  all  adversity,  with  the  eye  of  the 
eagle  saw  across  a  longer  space  than  men  of  ordinary 
vision.  "  Everything  which  has  been  done  after 
I  left  the  factory,"  growls  out  the  fiery  old  man, 
"  has  been  to  its  detriment/'  And  who  shall 
say  that  his  words  were  not  true  ? 

Muller  had  heard  the  guns  booming  in  the 
Sound  in  1801,  he  had  seen  the  havoc  of  bombard- 
ment by  an  alien  fleet  in  1807.  His  heart's  desire, 
his  beloved  factory,  had  been  wrecked.  A  great 
man's  treasure-house  of  dreams  had  been  devas- 
tated. The  story  of  the  ruin  which  overtook 
the  factory  comes  with  stunning  poignancy  with 
the  knowledge  that  owing  to  the  misery  which 
followed  the  war  the  factory  actually  closed 
down  in  1810,  for  a  time,  owing  to  the  want  of 
fuel.  Years  after  the  death  of  Muller  and  the 
glories  of  his  day  had  departed,  a  number  of  his 
oldest  models  ^and  moulds  were  found  in  a  heap 
of  shards  stowed  away  in  a  loft  in  the  old  factory. 

7 


136    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

At  the  removal  to  th^  new  factory  at  Frederiks- 
berg  it  was  hardly  thought  worth  while  to  carry 
them  away. 

Fortunately,  this  was  done,  and  in  spite  of 
their  wrecked  condition,  loving  hands  have  pieced 
them  together.  It  is  now  happily  possible  to 
reproduce  faithfully  some  two  hundred  of  the 
beautiful  models  of  the  great  days. 

Frantz  Heinrich  Miiller,  the  greatest  potter  of 
Denmark,  is  not  dead,  although  his  ashes  have 
lain  in  a  nameless  grave  for  nearly  a  century. 
His  memory  still  lies  green  in  the  hearts  of  those 
who  love  great  things  finely  conceived,  great 
triumphs  nobly  won,  and  great  dreams  perfectly 
consummated. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  FLORA  DANICA  SERVICE 

(1790-IS02) 

MADE  FOR  CATHERINE  II 
EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   FLORA   DANICA   SERVICE 

(1790-1802) 

MADE   FOR   CATHERINE  II,   EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA 

The  Crown  Prince  Frederik  (afterwards  Frederik  VI) 
orders  the  Flora  Danica  service  to  be  made — A 
period  of  twelve  years  occupied  in  making  it — The 
taste  of  the  Empress  Catherine  II  of  Russia — 
Theodor  Holmskjold,  the  botanist — The  service. 

A  SEPARATE  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  great 
service  executed  by  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory 
during,  the  years  1790  to  1802.  It  takes  a  place 
with  other  great  services,  the  masterpieces  of  old 
and  distinguished  factories,  such  as  the  magnifi- 
cent table  service  of  pate  tendre  Sevres  porcelain 
finished  in  1778  for  the  Empress  Catherine  II 
of  Russia,  consisting  of  about  750  pieces  and 
costing  some  £13,200.  The  Empress,  it  is  in- 
teresting to  read,  considered  this  price  exorbitant, 
and  a  lengthy  diplomatic  correspondence  ensued. 
This  service  was  part  of  the  imperial  collection 
at    St.   Petersburg.      The    celebrated    Wedgwood 

139 


140    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

dinner  service  of  earthenware  made  for  Catherine  H 
and  delivered  in  1774,  consists  of  painted  English 
scenery,  depicting  famous  views  and  noblemen's 
seats.  This  comprised  over  950  pieces,  and  a 
portion  of  it  was  exhibited  in  London  in  1909 
by  Messrs.  Josiah  Wedgwood  and  Sons,  of  Etruria, 
by  permission  of  late  His  Imperial  Majesty  the 
Emperor  of  Russia.^ 

The  Flora  Danica  service  had  as  a  patron  the 
Crown  Prince  Frederik,  the  son  of  Christian  VII 
and  Queen  Caroline  Matilda.  In  1784  another 
palace  revolution  had  happened.  The  power  of 
Queen  Juhane  Marie  and  her  son,  the  king's 
brother,  was  broken.  Prince  Frederik  (after- 
wards Frederik  VI  on  the  death  of  his  father 
Christian  VII,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine,  in  1808) 
assumed  the  presidency  of  the  State  Council, 
after  an  unseemly  struggle  for  the  person  of  the 
imbecile  king  had  taken  place  between  him  and 
his  uncle  Frederik,  Prince  Hereditai:y,  resulting  in 
the  complete  rout  of  the  latter.  The  same  day, 
April  14,  1784,  the  Crown  Prince  Frederik  was 
proclaimed  Regent.  From  that  moment  the  rule 
of  the  Queen  Dowager  and  her  son  Frederik  was 
ended.  She  and  her  son  retained  their  apart- 
ments at  Christiansborg  Palace,  and  Fredens- 
borg  was  set  apart  for  the  use  of  Queen  Juliane 
Marie.      She  lived  in  retirement  until  her  death 

'  Sec  illustrated  descriptive  Catalogue  of  Wedgwood  Exhibition, 
1909,  4to,  22  pp.,  by  the  present  writer,  also  Coftnoisseur,  December 
1909. 


THE  FLORA   DA  NIC  A   SERVICE      141 

in  1796.  Her  son  Frederik  refrained  from 
meddling  in  State  affairs,  and  confined  his  atten- 
tion to  the  welfare  of  art  and  science. 

Frederik  VI,  endeared  to  his  people  more  than 
any  other  Danish  king,  in  spite  of  his  military 
brusqueness,  was  as  simple  and  frugal  as  our 
own  Farmer-King,  George  III,  whose  grandson 
he  was.  Frederik's  blue  cotton  umbrella  is  still 
exhibited  as  a  relic  in  his  apartments  in  Rosenborg 
Castle,  and  at  his  death,  in  1830,  all  classes  mourned 
the  loss  of  a 'friend.  Peasants  bore  the  coffin 
of  the  old  monarch  tenderly  to  his  last  resting- 
place  at  Roskilde. 

He  was  twenty  years  of  age  when  Count  Marshal 
BUlow,  with  a  fatherly  regard  for  the  Crown 
Prince,  and  desirous  of  giving  that  touch  of 
refinement  denied  the  youth  by  the  naturalistic 
theories  of  Struensee  and  the  sterner  methods 
of  the  Queen  Dowager,  took  him  from  his  military 
duties  to  pay  early  morning  visits  to  the  Royal 
factory.  These  glimpses  into  a  world  of  artistry 
cannot  have  been  other  than  stimulating  to  the 
young  prince.  Struensee's  Rousseau-like  train- 
ing had  made  him  a  child  of  nature,  and  Juliana 
Marie  had  twisted  him  into  the  cast-iron  grooves 
of  a  stiff  and  formal  Court  etiquette.  In  regard 
to  art,  he  came  at  a  time  when  the  love  of  nature 
was  becoming  paramount.  The  age  was  rapidly 
shaking  off  the  artificial.  Sated  with  rococo 
ornament  and  with  insipid  and  frivolous  unrealities, 
the  pendulum  swung  to  the  natural  and  to  the 


142    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

essentially  simple.  Straight  or  shapely  curved 
lines  became  the  fashion.  The  period  of  Louis 
Seize  had  succeeded  the  rococo  taste  of  Louis 
Quinze  in  Continental  art. 

The  Taste  of  the  Ejnpress  Catherine  of  Russia. 
— From  1784,  when  he  made  his  coup  d'etatr 
Frederik  advisedly  gave  important  orders  to  the 
royal  factory.  In  1790  the  Flora  Danica  service 
was  ordered  by  the  Crown  Prince.  It  was  not 
at  first  known  for  whom  it  was  intended.  The 
old  factory  books  record  it  as  ''  P^rle  model  broge 
malet  med  Flora  Danica "  (Pearl  body,  colour 
painted  with  Flora  Damca).  As  the  service 
progressed  it  transpired  that  it  was  to'  be  presented 
to  Catherine  II,  Empress  of  Russia.  The  modern 
spirit  was  in  the  air,  the  new  style  was  realistic 
and  tinged  wit"h  a  scientific  motif;  moreover,-  it 
was  to  be  a  gift  to  a  bluestocking.  The  Empress 
Catherine  essayed  to  make  her  Court  the  centre 
of  letters  and  art.  At  great  cost  she  purchased 
the  Hbrary  of  Diderot,  and  invited  him  to  come 
to  St.  Petersburg  to  be  the  custodian  of  his  own 
collection.  She  corresponded  with  Voltaire  and 
she  talked  philosophy  with  Grimm,  who,  in  his 
celebrated  Correspon^ance  Litteraire,  kept  her  in- 
formed of  the  latest  plays  and  books  appearing 
in  Paris.  She  established,  a  French  theatre  in 
St.  Petersburg,  and  fined  absentee  courtiers  fifty 
roubles  and  sent  her  guards  to  bring  in  those  who 
had  failed  to  attend.  French  visionaries  looked 
to  Russia  as  a  land  of  promise.      Voltaire  never 


THE   FLORA   DA  NIC  A    SERVICE      143 

tired  of  proclaiming  that  the  Mohammedans  should 
be  driven  out  of  Europe.  And  the  Empress 
Catherine  was  to  be  the  chosen  instrutnent.  The 
philosopher  of  Ferney,  with  his  pen  dipped  in 
honey,  writes  : — 

"  Si  vous  etiez  souveraine  de  Constantinople 
voire  majeste  etahlirait  Men  vite.  une  belle  acadSmie 
grecque  ;  on  vous  ferait  une  Cater iniade  ;  les  Zeuxis 
et  les  Phidias  couvriraient  la  terre  de  vos  images  ; 
la  chute  de  V empire  ottoman  serait  celehree  en  grec  ; 
Athenes  serait  une  de  vos  capitales ;  la  langue 
grecque  deviendrHit  la  langue  tmiverselle ;  ious  les 
negocians  de  la  mer  Egee  demanderaient  des  passe- 
ports  de  votre  majeste." 

The  great  Danish  service  was  therefore  to  be 
a  fitting  present  for  so  powerful  a  queen.  For 
some  twelve  years  the  work 'was  continued  unin- 
terruptedly. At  first  it  was  designed  for  eighty 
persons,  and  in  1794  no  less  than  1,835  pieces 
were  ready.  The  death  of  the  Empress  Catherine 
II  in  1796  precluded  the  service  joining  those 
of  Sevres  and  Wedgwood  in  the  imperial  palace 
at  St.  Petersburg.  But  its  manufacture  was  stiH 
continued.  In  1797  it  had  enlarged  its  dimensions, , 
and  was  fit  for  a  hundred  persons.  In  1802  it 
was  stopped.  If  counted  in  English  fashion, 
with  lid,  bowl,  and  stand  as  three  pieces,  the 
number  had  grown  to  three  thousand  pieces,  or 
some  two  thousand,  counting  such  vessels  as  one 
piece.  The  dessert  service  alone  amomited  to 
six  hundred  and  twenty-three  pieces,   consisting 


Ui    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

of  basket  vases,  flower  and  fruit  stands,  and,  as 
is  usual  in  dessert  services,  exceptionally  fine 
examples,  elegant,  finely  modelled,  and  exquisitely 
painted. 

The  date  of  the  completion  of  the  Flora  Danica 
service  practically  coincides  with  the  date  of  the 
retirement  of  Miiller  from  the  directorship  of 
the  factory,  and  therefore  with  this  service  ends 
the  great  and  prolific  Miiller  period. 

In  the  examination  of  the  Flora  Danica  service 
considerable  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  artistic 
and  decorative  results,  but  insufficient  study  has 
been  given  to  the  causes  which  led  to  the  inception 
of  so  scientific  an  idea  in  regard  to  the  record  of 
the  national  flora  on  a  service  of  such  importance. 

Theodor  Holmskjold,  the  Botanist. — The  patron, 
as  we  have  seen,  was  the  Crown  Prince  Frederik. 
The  artist  entrusted  with  the  painting  of  the 
work  was  A.  C.  Bayer,  but  the  guiding  spirit  of 
the  enterprise  undoubtedly  was  Theodor  Holms- 
kjold,  who  was  a  botanist  of  some  distinction,  had 
studied  under  the  world-renowned  Von  Linne  at 
Upsala,  and  was  his  favourite  pupil.  Holmskjold, 
a  director  of  the  factory  throughout  the  great 
Juliane  Marie  period,  and  almost  to  the  end  of 
Miiller's  long  control,  brought  the  scientific  spirit 
of  exactitude  into  the  field  of  decorative  art. 
Originally  by  name  Holm,  he  took,  after  his 
ennoblement  in  1781,  the  title  of  Holmskjold. 
He  was  professor  of  medicine  and  natural  history 
at  Soroe,  the  Danish  Eton,  where  he  planned  a 


2S 


145 


.••  -•-••• 


y*^^^:  ■.]:■:■} 


THE  FLORA  DA  NIC  A   SERVICE      147 

botanical  garden,  and  later  he  took  part  in  the 
management  of  the  Botanical  Gardens  at  Copen- 
hagen. His  work  on  Danish  Fungi  is  distinguished 
by  the  artistic  excellence  of  the  illustrations, 
which  were  made  by  Bayer.  In  1767  he  became 
postmaster-general  of  Copenhagen.  In  1772,  the 
year  of  the  masked  ball  at  Christiansborg,  we 
iind  him  cabin«4:  secretary  to  Queen  Juliane  Marie. 
Undoubtedly  at  that  time  the  man  of  science 
put  aside  his  dried  specimens  to  join  in  the  whirl 
of  politics  and  Court  intrigue  which  ended  in  the 
seizure  of  Struensee  and  Queen  Matilda — the 
gallows  -  tree  for  the  dictator  and  imprisonment 
for  Denmark's  young  queen.  The  classification 
of  fungi  was  seemingly  little  enough  preparation 
for  the  pinking  of  Court  butterflies,  when  plots 
of  assassination  were  rife,  and  when  the  actors' 
heads  were  not  secure  on  their  shoulders.  But 
Holmskjold,  together  with  another  student,  Suhm, 
the  historian,  who  came'  from  his  library  and 
helped  to  make  history,  ably  acquitted  himself. 
He  was  a  trusted  confidant  of  Queen  Juliane 
Marie.  It  was  he  who  induced  the  queen  to 
take  up  Miiller's  company,  and  himself  (then 
Holm)  became  one  of  the  directors. 

Long  after  Queen  JuHane  Marie's  power  had 
waned,  we  find  him  true  to  his  allegiance  to  her, 
as  in  1792  he  became  chamberlain  to  her  Court. 
His  connection  with  Miiller  was  intimate.  A 
widower  in  1780,  Miiller  married  Holm's  somewhat 
elderly    sister.      In    brother-in-law    Holm    Miiller 


148    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

found  a  good  patron.  His  position  at  the  Court, 
his  relationship  with  MiiUer,  his  intense  desire  to 
win  renown  for  an  enterprise  to  which  he  had 
himself  obtained  the  royal  appellation,  made 
him  at  once  a  powerful  and  interested  ally.  He 
died  in  1793,  before  the  final  completion  of  the 
great  service  to  which  his  influence  had  contributed 
so  much,  but  not  before  he  had  seen  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Royal  Copenhagen  porcelain  under 
the  regime  of  Queen  Juliane  Marie,  his  mistress, 
attain  great  eminence  and  distinction. 

It  is  impossible  to  ignore  Holmskj old's  special 
and  particular  influence  on  the  character  of  the 
decorations  of  the  great  Copenhagen  Catherine  II 
service.  The  personality  of  the  botanist-director 
is  here  evident.  But  apart  from  this  individual 
influence,  in  an  examination  of  the  'causes  likely 
to  have  contributed  to  the  style  of  decoration 
employed,  passing  mention  must  be  made  of  the 
great  national  enterprise  planned  by  Oeder  in 
1 761  :  the  original  idea  being  that  all  European 
Governments  should  contribute  to  a  series  of 
volumes  illustrating  the  complete  flora  of  Europe. 
By  this  scientific  co-operation  duplication  was 
thus  to  be  avoided,  and  each  plant  would  be 
described  once  only. 

Denmark  alone  took  sufficient  interest  in  the 
botanical  work  to  complete  it.  Austria  touched 
the  fringe  of  her  flora  with  five  hundred  illus- 
trations, and  Russia  contributed  a  hundred.  So 
the  Flora  Danica,  under  the  guidance  of  several 


THE  FLORA   DANICA   SERVICE      149 

generations  of  botanists,  ploughed  its  solitary 
furrow  alone.  The  first  volume,  containing  the 
first  three  parts,  was  issued  by  Oeder  in  1766.  The 
plants  were  painted  in  situ  by  zealous  artist- 
botanists  who  travelled  to  the  remote  districts 
of  Denmark.  This  magnificent  undertaking  was 
in  its  earliest  stages  when .  the  great  porcelain 
service  was  in  contemplation. 

It  is  interesting  here  to  note  the  further  history 
of  the  great  botanical  work.  Five  parts  were 
issued  by  O.  F.  Miiller  from  1775  to  1787.  Vahl, 
the  great  botanist,  who  died  in  1804,  followed 
on  by  another  five  parts,  and  the  next  seventeen 
parts,  extending  over  a  period  of  thirty-five  years, 
were  under, the  editorship  of  J.  W.  Horniman, 
who  pubHshed  a  history  of  the  progress  of  the 
work  from  its  inception  down  to  1836.  By  royal 
decree  in  1847  it  was  decided  to  accept  illustra- 
tions of  Swedish  and  Norwegian  plants  not  found 
in  Denmark,  thus  increasing  the  scope  and  value 
of  the  work.  It  was  to  be  completed  in  fifty-one 
parts,  and  not  until  the  year  1883  was  this  great 
botanical  work  of  the  Flora  Danica  pronounced 
finished  ! 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  apart  from  Holmskj old's 
special  and  particular  predilections,  there  were 
general  and  national  impulses  directed  towards 
this  work  of  exceptional  character  and  of  Euro- 
pean importance.  It  may  readily  be  imagined 
that,  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  Flora  Danica 
service,   the    artists    at    the   royal   factory   who 


150    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

painted  flowers  had,  under  the  vigilant  eye  of 
the  speciaUst  director,  to  paint  them  from  nature. 
A  •  convolvulus  did  not  become  so  decoratively 
treated  as  to  evade  identification.  The  Greek 
honeysuckle  pattern  of  conventional  use  would 
not  have  passed  at  Copenhagen.  Conventionality 
was  as  much  eschewed  in  decoration  as  was  the 
rococo  in  modelling.  It  is  thus  evident  that 
nature  and  nature  study,  so  remarkable  and 
beautiful  a  feature  in  Copenhagen  porcelain,  owes 
not  a  little  to  the  trained  scientific  vision  of 
Theodor  Holmskjold,  the  botanist. 

Other  factors  enter  into  the  question  of  the 
consideration  of  this  Flora  Danica  service.  It 
is  obvious  that  the  national  feeling  in  artistic 
and  scientific  circles  was  centred  on  nature  and 
nature  study.  Jean-Jacques  had  shown  man- 
kind that  Dame  Nature  was  capable  of  being 
wooed  with  intense  passion.  It  was  not  until 
the  late  eighteenth  century  that  the  beauties  of 
landscape  began  to  be  assiduously  sought  after. 
Travellers  crossed  the  Alps  from  one  country  to 
another  and  regarded  the  frowning  mountain, 
the  sombre  pass,  or .  the  rushing  torrent  much 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  unpoetic  mariner 
feared  the  hurricane.  Nature  in  her  majestic 
loneliness  was  appalling.  The  sunny  slopes  of  the 
Apennines  concealed  volcanic  terrors.  The  smile 
of  the  blue  Lake  of  Como  was  as  treacherous  as 
the  dancing  waves  of  the  fickle  sea  itself.  Lakes 
and  mountains  and  mountain  gorges  were  to  be 


I 


I 


^ 

"« 


151 


THE  FLORA   DANICA   SERVICE      153 

avoided  ;  no  mortal  had  conceived  the  idea  of 
discovering  their  beauty.  They  were  as  fearsome 
as  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  to  the  Latin  mariners. 

In  England,  Thomas  Gray,  the  poet,  made  a 
journey  into  Westmoreland  and  Cumberland  in 
1765  to  see  the  Lake  Country.  His  letters  are 
the  iirst  note  in  EngHsh  literature  of  man's  kinship 
with  nature.  It  took  a  centur}^  for  the  modern 
thought  to  germinate — "  great  men  are  part  of 
the  infinite,  brothers  of  the  mountain  and  the  sea." 
As  early  as  1739,  Gray's  letters  to  his  mother  are 
filled  with  passages  extolling  the  grandeur  of  the 
crags  and  precipices  of  the  Alps,  at  a  time  when 
Rousseau  had  not  developed  his  later  method, 
and  Vernet  had  only  commenced  to  paint  the 
turbulent  sea  with  ecstasy. 

In  Denmark,  in  1790,  when  the  first  model  of 
the  Flora  Danica  service  was  turned  on  the  potter's 
wheel,  this  inquiring  and  reflective  spirit  was  in 
the  air,  and  the  general  tendency  manifestly  found 
a  reflex  in  the  great  national  service  being  manu- 
factured at  the  Royal  Porcelain  Factory.  The 
Russian  Government  had  already  entered  into 
co-operation  in  a  small  degree  in  regard  to  bringing 
the  records  of  the  Russian  flora  into  line  with 
that  of  Denmark,  and  Catherine  II,  as  is  known, 
was  the  patron  of  the  German  naturalist  Dr.  P.  S. 
Pallas,  who,  in  1784,  commenced  a  Flora  Russica, 
which  was  to  eclipse  anything  yet  attempted. 
This  was  to  be  published  at  the  expense  of 
Catherine.     At    her    wish     Pallas    had    in    1768 


154     ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN     ' 

undertaken    a    scientific    expedition    to    Siberia, 
which   occupied  six  years. 

In  this  connection,  therefore,  and  knowing  the 
Erapress  Catherine  to  be  a  votary  of  science  and 
of  art,  the  services  made  in  England,  France, 
and  Denmark  for  imperial  use  were  not  under- 
taken without  due  consideration  of  this  fact. 
The  Sevres  service  was  embelhshed  with  the  art 
of  the  schools  of  Boucher,  Lancret,  and  Watteau  ; 
the  Wedgwood  service  was  frankly  topographical, 
having  painted  copies,  in  mulberry  purple,  of 
old  engravings,  and  Copenhagen  was  designedly 
botanical,  based  on  the  coloured  illustrations  of 
the  Flora  Danica  yohxmes. 

The  Service. — A  notable  visitor  to  the  factory 
at  the  time  of  the  inception  of  the  Flora  Danica 
service  was  the  Chevalier  Louis  de  BoisgeHn, 
Knight  of  Malta,  who  published  his  Travels  through 
Denmark  and  Sweden  in  English  in  two  volumes, 
at  London,  in  1810.  The  Comte  Alfonse  de  Fortia, 
his  fellow-traveller,  had  previously  published  Les 
Voyages  de  deux  Frangois  dans  le  Nord  de  V Europe, 
x\s  a  trustworthy  account  of  a  contemporary  eye- 
witness the  opinion  of  de  Boisgelin  is  quoted: — 

"  The  most  beautiful  porcelain  likely  to  be 
sent  for  a  long  time  from  this  manufacture  will 
be  a  complete  service  upon  which  is  to  be  repre- 
sented, in  natural  colours,  all  the  plants  of  the 
Flora  Danica,  with  one  upon  each  piece,  large 
or  small,  according  to  the  dimensions  of  the  piece. 
The  name  of  the  plant  will  be  marked  under  the 


THE  FLORA   DANICA   SERVICE      155 

plate,  and  the  whole  is  to  be  classed  according 
to  the  Linnaean  system.  The  drawings  are  traced 
with  such  wonderful  accuracy,  that  the  most 
famous  painters  belonging  to  the  manufactory 
would  not  undertake  so  difficult  and  slavish  a 
piece  of  work." 

This  last  statement  as  to  the  mechanical  accuracy 
required  in  the  painting  of  the  flora  stamps  it 
as  something  outside  the  realm  of  the  ordinary 
flower  painter,  and  indicates  at  once  the  extreme 
scientific  definition  of  drawing  required. 

The  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory  had  come  to 
be  recognized  by  other  Continental  factories  as 
excelling  in  the  modelling  of  flowers,  and  as  ex- 
hibiting truthful  and  natural  beauty  in  their 
employment  for  decorative  effect.  The  originality 
of  the  shapes  of  this  service  in  comparison  with 
those  of  contemporary  factories  shows  them  to 
possess  a  fine  reticence  which  does  npt  detract 
from  the  grand  and  imposing  character  of  the 
imperial  service.  The  border  is  a  new  and  bold 
treatment  with  serrated  leaf  design,  richly  gilded 
and  having  three  rows  of  gilt  pearls.  In  point 
of  decoration  the  new  style  is  reaHstic,  but  far 
too  scientific  in  treatment. 

As  a  service  it  is  magnificent.  It  amply  fulfils 
the  great  and  inspired  conceptions  of  its  originators. 
Luplau  was  still  a  modeller,  skilful  and  practised 
in  his  own  field  of  dignified,  restrained,  and  well- 
balanced  forms  compelling  admiration,  and  the 
bouquets  and  floral  ornaments  were  modelled  by 

8 


156    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

Soren  Preus.  In  painted  decoration  the  scientific 
atmosphere  is  only  too  evident.  Bayer*s  pencil 
too  faithfully  followed  the  botanical  volumes  of 
the  Flora  Danica.  Each  piece  is  different  ;  the 
whole  gamut  of  the  flora  was  covered,  but  each 
subject  was  obviously  not  equally  suitable  for 
decorative  effect.  True  decorative  art,  however 
realistic,  is  alien  from  scientific  exactitude. 

The  plants  with  their  roots,  leaves,  and  cross- 
sections  of  the  stems  evade  decorative  treatment. 
The  scientific  spirit  is  further  exhibited  in  the 
written  Latin  names  and  references  to  the  text 
of  Flora  Danica  appearing  at  the  back  of  each 
piece.  But  it  must  be  reiterated  that  it  w^as 
intended  as  a  present  to  a  votary  of  Von  Linne, 
and  the  scientific  study  of  nature  had  challenged 
the  capture  of  nature  by  art. 

The  magnificence  of  the  great  service  is  the 
magnificence  of  a  great  series  of  ceramic  volumes, 
reflecting  in  another  medium  the  triumphs  of 
the  illustrated  volumes  of  the  Flora  Danica. 

It  is  the  first  instance  of  the  Copenhagen  factory 
searching  for  designs  in  a  domain  foreign  to  the 
true  natural  sources  of  inspiration  proper  to 
the  artist  designer  on  porcelain.  Another  and 
later  instance  is  the  series  of  imitative  porcelain 
statuettes  after  Thorvaldsen's  creations  in  marble. 


CHAPTER  VI 

EARLY  BLUE-AND-WHITE 
UNDERGLAZE  PAINTED 


I 


CHAPTER  VI 

EARLY     BLUE-AND-WHITE    UNDERGLAZE 
PAINTED 

The  "Danish  Pattern" — The  Bornholm  Clay  period — 
Peculiarities  in  marking — Table  of  Marks  (old  blue- 
and-white  underglaze  painted  porcelain). 

The  blue-and-white  underglaze  painted  porcelain 
of  Copenhagen  has  become  recognized  as  char- 
acteristic of  the  royal  factory  and  of  Denmark. 
The  original  design  is  of  Chinese  origin,  in  com- 
mon with  other  forms  of  decoration,  centuries 
old,  followed  by  all  European  potters  in  early 
days  when  the  art  of  making  true  porcelain  was 
discovered  in  the  West.  But,  like  many  another 
transplantation  in  art,  it  found  congenial  atmo- 
sphere, and  has  become  national  to  the  country 
of  its  adoption.  The  light,  graceful  plant  motif 
shown  in  the  blue-and-white  painted  fluted  porce- 
lain is  as  welcome  a  sight  to  Danes  the  world  over 
as  the  slender  twin  spires  of  Roskilde  Cathedral, 
where  the  kings  of  Denmark  sleep  in  eternal 
peace. 

The  **  Danish  pattern  "  bears  in  a  measure  a 

159 


160    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

certain  relationship  to  works  in  literature  where 
the  translation  is  greater  than  the  original. 

This  is  especially  true  when  the  work  of  a 
decadent  period  is  translated  into  the  richer 
tongue  of  a  more  golden  age.  The  English  Bible 
translated  in  the  time  of  James  I  is  richer  in  its 
fine  wealth  of  prose  than  the  "original  sacred 
tongues.". 

Some  arts  have  been  lost.  It  is  said  that  the 
art  of  translation  has  never  been  discovereS. 
All  have  laboured  after  it  in  vain  ;  it  is  as  hard 
to  seek  as  hidden  treasure,  and  one  never  finds 
it.  But  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain  Factory 
found  the  "  hidden  treasure  "  in  the  design  which 
has  grown  into  a  thousand  shapes  inspired  by 
the  traditions  of  Miiller,  who  **  laid  the  East  in 
fee,"  and  whose  successors  true  to  his  memory 
are  n'ot  those 


Who  would  keep  an  ancient  form 
Through  which  the  spirit  breathes  no  more. 


From  the  manor  farms  of  Vendsyssel  to  the 
confines  of  Danish-built  Altona,  from  the  white 
cliffs  of  Moen  to  the  ancient  roofed  city  of  Ribe, 
the  blue-and-white  underglaze  painted  porcelain 
plates  and  dishes  have  been  family  heirlooms 
since  the  days  of  Christian  VII. 

The  Flora  Danica  service  represents  the  greatest 
complete  creation  in  the  overglaze  painted  work 
of    the    royal   factory,   and   this    blue-and-white 


J 


I 


161 


•  •  •••  • 


a       ^ 
.2     >«i 


.2  ^ 

■OIj  "^ 

c 

2  :^ 

■7,  <C 


-     « 


163 


:••» 


BLUE-AND-WHITE   UNDERGLAZE     IG,) 

stands  as  the  greatest  and  most  complete  creation 
of  the  underglazc  work. 

It  has  been  advanced,  and  on  sure  grounds, 
that  this  Copenhagen  blue-and-white  porcelain, 
with  its  continuity  of  national  design  extending 
in  unbroken  line  for  over  a  century  and  a  quarter, 
is  the  Jargest  service  the  world  has  seen.  It 
has  grown  by  steady  process  of  evolution  into 
thousands  of  well-defined  forms,  rich  in  inventive 
modelling,  and  keeping  abreast  with  modern 
requirements,  and  it  is  to  this  day  decorated  with 
the  olS  pattern  of  the  early  days.  This  of  itself 
is  an  achievement  not  equalled  by  any  other 
factoi'y.  A  Copenhagen  breakfast  set  of  the 
twentieth  century  or  a  tete-d-tete  tea  service  can 
stand  beside  eighteenth-century  blue-and-white 
porcelain  from  the  same  factory,  and  be  in  perfect 
harmony  in  colour,  in  decoration,  and  in  character. 

Kindred  and  allied  by  birth, 
And  made  of  the  same  clay. 

The  "  Danish  pattern  '*  in  blue  was  not  long  in 
attracting  copyists  from  other  European  factories. 
To-day  in  Copenhagen  itself  English  faience 
transfer-printed  in  blue  stands  as  a  trade  imitation 
and  a  tribute  to  the  genius  and  originality  of  its 
prototype.  Possibly  the  potter  plagiarists  may 
never  have  heard  of  the  pregnant  words  of  Goethe  : 
"  There  are  many  echoes,  but  few  voices.'* 

The  Bornholm  Clay  Period. — Mention  has  already 
been  made,^  in   dealing  with  the  early  discoveries 


166    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


of  MuUer  and  the  experiments  he  made,  of 
the  clay  which  he  found  in  the  island  of 
Bornholm.  This  clay  forms  the  body  of  some 
of  the  earliest-known  pieces  made  by  him.  It 
may  be  readily  recognized  bj^  its  heavy  weight 
and  by  its  grey  tone.  It  is  easy,  after  making 
an  examination  of  a  great  number  of  specimens 
of  the  old  blue-and-white  ware,  to  distinguish 
this  Bornholm  period,  even  although  in  the  two 
years  (1773-1775)  piior  to  the  adoption  of  the 
three  blue  lines  as  a  factory  mark,  some  pieces 
bear  no  mark  whatever.  It  somewhat  resembles 
certain  heavy  Japanese  ware  in  its  compact  and 
solid  body  and  grey-blue  colour. 

The  author  has  made  a  fairly  exhaustive  test 
of  several  hundred  pieces,  both  in  public  and  in 
private  collections.  The  gradual  development  in 
regard  to  the  perfection  of  the  paste  and  the  glaze 
is  so  noticeable  that  it  is  possible  to  place  the 
old  blue-and-white  fluted  ware  in  successive  grades 
according  to  the  stages,  of  evolution.  At  first 
coarse,  though  never  meaningless  nor  offensive, 
when  the  ware  was  obviously  in  an  experimental 
period,  it  betrayed  fire-cracks  and  warpings  in 
form  and  slight  departures  from  perfect  symmetry. 
Later  it  became  whiter  and  thinner,  and  was 
manifestly  more  completely  under  the  control 
of  the  potter.  When  the  perfected  period  was 
reached,  there  were  tea  caddies,  pounce  boxes, 
and,  in  particular,  certain  dishes,  of  which  an 
example    is    illustrated   (p.   169)   which    are  not 


I 


SI  -d 


w  - 

N 

<  ^ 

a  3 

OS  w 

Q  « 

«  * 

rj  en 

^  11 

n  u3 


Q-         3 


CO  -r- 


o 

CO      > 

a  -" 

3    -O 


<3 

I. 


le-i 


109 


•  »    >         •     •    •     •       « 

•  ••••       •••^ 

•  »  »  • .  •         •.    - 


o 

°  I 

OS       u 


.»•  _•»«•♦  • 


BLUE-AND-WHITE   UNDERGLAZE    171 

unworthy  to  be  compared  favourably  with  speci- 
mens of  old  blue-and-white  Worcester  of  the 
early  period.  There  is  a  delicacy  and  refinement 
in  the  modelling  and  potting,  and  that  tenderness 
in  the  glaze  and  thinness  in  the  body  which  at 
once  betoken  that  the  technique  has  been  sub- 
jected to  the  patient  potter's  control. 

Peculiarities  in  Marking. — For  the  first  time 
in  any  treatment  of  the  subject,  the  potters  and 
modellers'  marks  are  given  in  a  table  appended 
to  this  chapter,  which  the  writer  hopes  will  be 
foiind  useful  in  identifying  early  examples.  These 
hieroglyphics,  usually  accompanied  by  the  factory 
mark  of  the  three  blue  lines,  are  painters'  marks, 
and  in  the  case  of  incised  marks  are  representative 
of  the  modellers  or  turners.  It  may  be  possible, 
upon  further  research  being  given  to  the  subject, 
to  identify  the  individual  marks  of  each  painter 
or  modeller,  and  thus  arrive  at  some  more  definite 
conclusion  in  regard  to  the  date  at  which  these 
early  blue-and-white  pieces  were  made.  But 
until  the  exact  list  of  painters  at  the  factory, 
together  with  the  dates  at  which  they  were 
employed,  is  subjected  to  exhaustive  research, 
it  is  obviously  impossible  to  establish  more  than 
the  present  series  of  marks,  with  limited  con- 
clusions ■  in  regard  to  chronological  order.  The 
marks  now  given  have  been  specially  drawn  from 
old  examples  of  undoubted  authenticity. 

There  is  one  peculiarity  in  connection  with  the 
marks  found  on  this  early  blue-and-white  porcelain. 


172    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


The  bases  are  frequently  ground,  and  the  factory 
mark  of  the  three  blue  lines,  with  an  accompany- 
ing painter's  mark,  are  on  the  base,  with  little 
spots  of  glaze  put  over  them  no  bigger  than  a 
threepenny-piece.  Another  idiosyncrasy  of  Copen- 
hagen marks,  not  confined  to  the  blue-and-white, 
is  the  almost  hidden  position  in  which  some  of 
the  marks  are  found.  In  overglaze  painted  figures 
the  three  blue  lines  will  peep  from  beneath  the 
hem  of  some  garment.  In  the  blue-and^white 
examples  the  mark  is  sometimes  found  on  the 
inside  of  the  handle  of  a  teapot  or  on  a  lid.  In 
some  of  the  earlier  pieces  the  blue  mark  has  turned 
to  black  under  the  action  of  the  oven.  Similarly, 
in  the  early  days  of  experiments  in  connection 
with  the  perfecting  of  the  blue,  a  series  of  plates 
will  be  found  of  exactly  the  same  decoration  and 
bearing  the  same  painter's  signature ;  but  the 
caprice  of  the  fire,  or  the  inexact  knowledge  of 
the  craftsman,  has  converted  the  blue  of  some 
of  them  into  a  very  deep  blue,  approaching  black 
in  tone. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  old  blue-and-white 
porcelain  of  Copenhagen  has  not  yet  been  ex- 
ploited by  collectors.  It  came  concurrently  with 
the  rich  overglaze  painting  in  colours  and  the 
magnificence  of  gilding  for  which  the  Miiller 
period  is  remarkable.  It  stands  quite  apart  ; 
its  decoration  is  underglazc,  and  not  at  that  time, 
nor  since,  has  gold  ever  been  added  to  this  mussol- 
blue   painted    and    fluted    utilitarian    ware    other 


I 


BLUE-AND-WHITE   UNDERGLAZE     173 

than  in  very  exceptional  circumstances.  It  is 
simple  and  delightful,  and  what  it  was  in  the  old 
days  it  is  now.  The  style  of  painted  decoration 
is  perennial.  It  is  a  pattern  known  all  over  the 
world.  It  has  lived  for  a  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  years.  Its  life-history  suggests  the  long- 
continued  idealities  of  the  Chinese  potter  or  the 
coloured  intricacies  of  the  Persian  rug- weaver  con- 
tinued by  the  wise  children  of  clever  craftsmen 
with  equal  fideUty  from  generation  to  generation. 


t 


174    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

TABLE  OF  MARKS 
(Old  Blue-and-white  Porcelain  Undefglaze  Painted) 

of  Painters  and  Modellers,  found  usually  in  conjunction  with  the 
Factory  Mark  of  the  three  blue  lines*  Painter's  mark  in  blue« 
Modeller's  mark  incised* 

Mark  found  on  examples    _  _  ^ 
of     the    Bornholm    clay 
period,  see  Apothecary  Jar 
(illustrated,  p.  i6i). 

On  Oval  Dishy  fine  body, 
and  with  scale  pattern 
decoration  in  rich  blue. 
MM  (incised).  (Illus- 
trated, p.  169). 

Coffee  Pot,  Bornholm 
period,  ML  incised.  (Il- 
lustrated, p.  161). 

On  a  >  Soup  Tureen, 
marked  at  bottom  of  vessel 
inside. 

On  a  Soup  Tureen,  at     _ 
bottom    of    vessel   inside,      l,*^:  4    '  '    T^  j] 
Tl  on  base  (incised). 

Bornholm  period  mark. 
On  a  Pounce  Box,  Cup 
with  spout  and  handle, 
and  other  examples. 

On  a  Plate  with  pierced 
edge  (illustrated,  p.  169). 


•j-  Mil 


BLUE-AND-WHITE   UNDERGLAZE     175 

On  a  round  Inkstand 
Three  lines  and*  cross  (in 
black).     K    (incised). 

On  a  Pounce  Box,  at 
Museum,  Royal  Copen- 
hagen Manufactory.  L 
(incised). 

On  a  round  Tea  Caddy, 
with  floral  decoration.  II 
(incised).  | 

On  a  Tea  Caddy.     In- 
side rim  (in  blue).     T  on     -■**■*,  cQ  — ^ 
base  (incised). 

On  a  Small  Teapot. 
Moulded  rosebud  on  lid. 
Figure  3  (in  blue)  on  rim 
of  Hd.  Other  mark  on 
base  (in  blue).  (Illus- 
trated, p.  167). 

On  a  Compotier  (in 
blue).  At  the  Museum, 
Royal  Copenhagen  Porce- 
lain Factory. 

Mark  (in  blue)  on  Plate 
with  pierced  edge. 

On  a  Soup  Tureen  and 
Cover,  ..  with  lemon  and 
leaves  modelled  on  cover,, 
natural  size.  Figure  2 
(incised). 


vfr- 


Cn/U- 


176    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

On  a  Clip,  and  other 
examples. 

On  a  Plate,  at  Museum, 
Royal  Copenhagen  Fac- 
tory, and  other  examples. 

On  Cup,  of  unusual  de- 
coration, with  blue  banded 
ornament. 

On  a  Fruit  Basket, 
pierced  work,  twisted 
handles,  and  roses  in  re- 
lief.    W2    (incised). 

On  a  Jug  at  the  Dansk 
Folke  Museum,  Copen- 
hagen. 

On  a  Dish  at  the  Dansk 
Folke  Museum,  Copen- 
hagen. Other  numerals 
are  found  from  i  to  7. 


N 


I 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  SUCCESSORS 
OF  MULLER 
(1820-1880) 

THE  DECADENCE 


1 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  SUCCESSORS   OF  MULLER 

(1820-18S0) 

THE  DECADENCE 

Battle  of  Copenhagen,  1801 — Nelson's  Letters  to  Lady- 
Hamilton — The  so-called  Empire  style — The  Thor- 
valdsen  period. 

The  great  days  of  the  Miiller  regime  had  come  to 
an  end.  A  quarter  of  a  century  of 'brilliant  success 
was  followed  by  twice  that  length  of  gloom.  The 
Arctic  night  of  early  nineteenth-century  years 
had  settled  on  art.  Miiller 's  retirement  in  1801 
was  not  the  only  contributory  cause  of  the 
decadence  of  the  factory.  The  French  Revolution 
had  shaken  Europe  from  end  to  end.  The 
Napoleonic  Wars  following  in  its  wake  disturbed 
serenity  and  repose  in  art  and  letters.  The 
fortunes  of  States  were  in  the  melting-pot,  and 
destiny  was  "  moulding  men  in  plastic  circum- 
stance." The  storm  cyclone  had  more  than  once 
centred  around  Denmark.  The  century  opened 
ill  for  the  fortunes  of  the  factory.     In  April  1801 

Q  179 


180    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

a  British  fleet  entered  the  Sound  and  engaged 
in  a  great  naval  battle  with  the  Danish  fleet. 
*'  I  have  been  in  a  hundred  and  five  engagements," 
said  Nelson,  "  but  that  of  to-day  is  the  most 
terrible  of  them  all."  The  genius  of  Napoleon 
conceived  the  idea  of  "  conquering  the  sea  by  the 
land,'*  to  quote  his  own  words.  Paul  I  of  Russia 
became  Napoleon's  ally  and  tool.  Russia  brought 
pressure  to  bear  on  Sweden,  Denmark,  and  Prussia, 
and  these  Powers  were  federated  as  the  **  League 
of  Armed  Neutrality,"  with  the  avowed  purpose 
of  challenging  the  maritime  supremacy  of  England. 
Prussia  marched  troops  into  Hanover.  Russia 
seized  all  British  ships  in  Russian  ports,  and 
every  port  from  the  North  Cape  to  Gibraltar  was 
closed  against  the  British  flag.  Behind  this 
combination  was  the  brain  of  Napoleon. 

The  story  of  the  battle  is  well  known.  The 
Danes  fought  stubbornly.  The  love  of  the  father- 
land and  the  flag,  the  split  flag  of  old  Denmark 
— the  Dannebrog — k  white  cross*  on  a  red  field, 
was  stimulated  by  the  poets  of  the  day.  Old 
memories  were  awakened  of  the  days  of  Juel, 
Hvidfeldt,  and  Tordenskjold.  Workmen,  peasants 
from  the  farms,  and  merchants  from  the  city 
hastened  to  enroll.  The  students  of  the  univer- 
sity, a  thousand  strong,  enlisted  to  a  man.  The 
Danish  ships,  supported  by  the  shore  batteries, 
lay  in  the  shallow  waters  of  the  Sound.  The 
attacking  party  had  to  navigate  their  ships  through 
narrow    and    dangerous    shoals.     On    the    church 


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THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  MULLER      183 

towers  and  roofs  hundreds  of  spectators  watched 
the  great  fight.  There  was  a  dearth  of  seamen. 
In  some  of  the  vessels  there  was,  so  a  Danish 
account  narrates,  only  one  sailor  in  twenty. 
These  raw  crews  were  kept  at  their  drill  through- 
out the  night  prior  to  the  battle. 

Writing  to  the  Times  in  1801,  an  officer  present 
at  the  engagement  says  :  "  The  enemy  made  a 
very  obstinate  resistance  and  fought  like  brave 
men.  Most  of  our  ships  are  very  much  cut  up 
'.  .  .  and  the  vessels  which  have  been  captured 
are  perfect  sieves,  there  being  hardly  a  single 
plank  in  any  one  of  them  but  has  at  least  ten 
shot-holes  in  it.  In  fact,  it  was  the  most  dread- 
fully fought  action  that  ever  took  place  in  the 
annals  of  history."  Of  the  shattered  prizes,  only 
one  Danish  vessel  was  fit  to  be  repaired  and  taken 
to  Portsmouth. 

It  was  at  this  battle,  as  every  schoolboy  knows, 
that  Nelson  disregarded  Admiral  Parker's  signal, 
"  I  have  only  one  eye,'*  he  said,  turning  to  his 
captain,  "  and  may  be  allowed  to  be  blind  on 
occasion."  Placing  the  spy-glass  to  his  blind  eye 
he  said,  "  Upon  my  word,  I  do  not  see  any 
signal." 

A  young  Danish  officer,  a  lad  of  seventeen, 
Villemoes,  commanding  a  floating  battery  with 
twenty-four  men,  stuck  to  his  post  till  only 
four  of  his  men  remained.  Nelson,  after  the 
battle,  begged  the  Crown  Prince  to  introduce 
the  young  officer   to  him.     The  brave   deeds   of 


184    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

two  great  fighting  races  stand  out  on  that  day 
of  awful  carnage.  Captain  Larssen,  after  the 
battle,  when  he  appeared  in  the  streets  of  Copen- 
hagen, was  the  object  of  universal  homage  as 
the  hero  of  Bloody  Maundy  Thursday.  When 
he  passed  Araagertorv,  the  fishwives  would  rise 
and  make  him,  a  deep  ciirtsy.  Yet  he  passed 
his  days  in  straitened  circumstances  and  died 
well-nigh  forgotten.  No  statue  commemorates 
his  memory. 

But  there  is  a  ceramic  record  of  that  day  of  great 
battle.  We  illustrate  a  Copenhagen  porcelain 
bowl,  with  painted  scene,  showing  the  Dannebrog 
flying  and  the  sea-fight  in  progress.  It  was  given, 
painted  in  colours,  to  the  officers,  and  uncoloured 
to  the  sous-officiers  who  fought  on  the  2nd  of 
April  1801.  There  is  one  at  the  Dansk  Folke 
Museum  and  another  at  Rosenborg  Castle,  and 
the  few  other  bowls  in  private  hands  are  highly 
treasured  as  heirlooms.  It  is  inscribed  on  a 
panel : — 

Tilegnet 
O.  Fischer 
og  alle  brave  Danske. 
Kiobenhavn  2  April  1801, 

«/ 
Roepstorff, 

(Dedicated  to  O.  Fischer  and  all  the  brave  Danes.    Copenhagen, 
2  April  1801,  by  Roepstorff.) 

It  is  a  sad  story — the  world-wide-empire  dreams 
of    one    man    had    brought    devastating    ruin    to 


CUP  (1830-1840) 

With  view  of  Kronborg  Castle,  with  shipping  on  the  Sound. 
Painted  in  colours  and  richly  gilded. 

(A/  Dansk  Folke  Museum,  Copenhagen.) 


186 


'»^'» 


»♦•     ^*M***    • 


••^ 


THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  MULLER      187 

friend  and'  foe  alike.  There  are  many  memories 
of  the  Battle  of  the  Baltic  ;  many  hnks  of  friend- 
ship between  the  island  kingdoms  by  the  sea  have 
been  forged  since  then. 


Let  us  think  of  them  that  sleep 
Full  many  a  fathom  deep 
By  thy  wild  and  stormy  steep, 
Elsinore  ! 


Lord    Nelson's   Letters   to   Lady   Hamilton. — The 

letters  of  Lord  Nelson  at  that  date  have  an 
interesting  reference  to  Copenhagen  porcelain. 
Apart  from  finding  his  portrait  on  Staffordshire 
earthenware  mugs  and  jugs  as  a  national  hero, 
and  commemorative  of  his  victories,  he  took  a 
considerable  pleasure  in  ceramic  art.  In  1802^ 
he  ordered  a  Worcester  service,  pieces  of  which 
are  found  in  the  cabinets  of  collectors.  His 
letters  frequently  contain  references  to  his  china, 
e.g.  :  "  I  send  by  the  coach  a  Httle  parcel  contain- 
ing the  keys  of  the  plate-chest  and  the  case  of 
the  tea-urn,  and  there  is  a  case  of  Colebrook 
Dale  breakfast  set  and  some  other  things.*' 

After  the  Battle  of  Copenhagen  one  of  his  letters 
to  Lady  Hamilton  is  as  follows : — 


'  April  14,  1 80 1. 

My  dear  Friend, 

I  was  in  hopes  that  I  should  have  got  off  some  Copenhagen 
china  to  have  sent  you  by  Captain  Bligh,  who  was  one  of  my  seconds 
on  the  2nd.     He  is  a  steady  seaman,  and  a  good  and  brave  man.  .  .  . 


188    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

Another  letter  to  Lady  Hamilton,  written  on 
the  following  day,  runs  : — 

Si.  George,  April  15,  1801. 
My  dearest  Friend, 

I  can  get  nothing  here  worth  your  acceptance,  but  as  I  know 
you  liave  a  vahiable  collection  of  china,  I  send  you  some  of  the 
Copenhagen  manufacture.  It  will  bring  to  your  recollection  that  here 
your  attached  friend  Nelson  fought  and  conquered.  Captain  Bligh 
has  promised  to  take  charge  of  it,  and  I  hope  it  will  reach  you 
safe.  ... 

Ever  yours,  most  faithfully, 

Nelson  and  Bronte. 


At  this  date  Miiller  had  not  retired  from  the 
factory,  and  Nelson  undoubtedly  procured  some 
specimens  of  the  best  period.  It  is  a  matter  of 
conjecture  as  to  whether  these  examples  are  now 
known  and  in  what  collection  in  England  they 
may  be  found. 

Hardly  had  the  echoes  of  the  booming  guns 
died  away  when  Copenhagen  was  again  bom- 
barded by  a  British  fleet  in  1807,  and  the  Danish 
fleet  captured  to  prevent  it  falling  into  the  hands 
of  Napoleon.  A  lire  had  consumed  a  quarter 
of  the  city  in  1795,  and,  succeeded  by  these  later 
calamities,  produced  a  condition  of  considerable 
distress  and  misery.  The  porcelain  factory  had 
its  share  of  disaster.  Falling  bombs  did  irre- 
parable damage :  thousands  of  pounds'  worth 
of  porcelain  and  moulds  were  destroyed.  This 
last  blow  was  indeed  a  terrible  one  for  the  factory, 
and  helped  to  complete  its  ruin. 


1 


PLATE.  •.,..•••.:,.::•  *J:\ 

Painted  wilh  flower  subject  in  natural  colours  overglaze  by  Jensen. 

Date  1827     Rich  gilding  at  border  with  apparently  experimental  desigi 

Mark  three  lines  and  I  in  blue. 

{At  J\/useia/i,  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain  Factory.) 


189 


•    •   •  Zi  •      • 

•    •  •/  •  #    • 


•  4.      «  4.  «•  •        •#*«  »  • 


THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  MULLER      191 

The  so-called  Empire  Style. — But  there  came 
another  Continental  movement  inimical  to  art 
in  no  less  degree  than  war— the  great  inventive 
spirit  which  produced  the  age  of  machinery. 
Art  grew  impovorishcd  and  unfertile.  Genius 
seemed  to  have  descended  on  the  workshop  and 
the  loom.  The  painter,  the  designer,  the  creator 
of  forms,  and  the  artist  in  colours  lived  in  a  night- 
mare of  banaUties.  In  regard  to  England,  this 
industrial  revolution  has  been  a  most  powerful 
factor  in  stifling  art.  In  Denmark,  happily,  this 
problem  has  n'ot  even  yet  come  with  overwhelming 
force,  as  there  are  no  mines,  no  copper,  iron,  or 
coal,  and  the  shadowy  side  of  scientific,  invention 
and  deadening  commerce  has  not  darkened  the 
artistic  horizon. 

In  considering  the  ceramics  of  Denmark,  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that,  owing  to  an  isolated 
northern  position,  artistic  movements  affecting 
the  great  European  centres  were  slower  in  obtain- 
ing a  foothold  in  Copenhagen.  This  in  a  great 
measure  explains  the  steady  growth  of  national 
art  on  its  own  lines.  It  was  not  until  1824,  when 
G.  Hetch  became  director,  that  the  Copenhagen 
factory  commenced  to  produce  designs,  then 
almost  disappearing  in  other  parts  of  Europe,  in 
the  Empire  style. 

Count  Caylus  in  France  and  Winckelmann  in 
Germany  in  middle  eighteenth-century  days  had 
heralded  the  oncoming  classic  movement  which 
had   its  furore   of   simplicity   under   the   Empire. 


I 
192    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

Sir  William  Hamilton  and  Wedgwood  had  carried 
on  the  traditions  in  England.  The  Copenhagen 
factory  at  this  date  followed  the  decoration  of 
Berlin  and  Vienna. 

A  Clip  of  this  period  (1830-1840)  is  illustrated 
(p.  185).  This  cup  is  heavily  gilded  in  the  prevalent 
atrocious  style.  It  is  finely  painted  in  natural 
colours,  having  a  marine  scene  representing  the 
Castle  of  Kronborg,  with  the  Sound,  and  a  vessel 
in  full  sail.  It  was  here  on  the  ramparts  that 
Hamlet  met  the  ghost  of  his  father.  To-day  the 
Danish  soldiers  in  blue  uniform  keep  sentry-go 
on  the  platform  of  the  bastion.  The  bugle-call 
echoes  across  the  Sound,  and  the  grey  frowning 
walls  hold  the  mystery  of  the  poet*s  dream. 

One  recalls  Hamlet's  vigil  here,  with  his  "  The 
air  bites  shrewdly,  it  is  very  cold,"  and  Horatio's 
reply,  "  It  is  a  nipping  and  an  eager  air,"  and  the 
angry  waves  beating  below  and  the  gathering 
storm  from  the  north  complete  the  picture. 

We  recollect  the  words — 


The  king  doth  wake  to-night,  and  takes  his  rouse, 
Keeps  wassail,  and  the  swaggering  up-spring  reels; 
The  kettle-druni  and  trumpet  thus  bray  out 
The  triumph  of  his  pledge. 


And  remembering,  fall  in  a  muse,  to  be  aroused 
by  the  note  of  the  bugle  and  the  clash  of  arms 
of  the  guard. 

It  was  here  that  Charles  XH  of  Sweden  came 
with  an  army  to  lay  siege,  and  the  place   where 


S     ii 


193 


•  •  • 

•  •  • 


THE   SUCCESSORS   OF  MULLER      195 

the  manacled  prisoners  sat  in  the  chapel  is  yet 
another  link  between  yesterday  and  to-day.  Here, 
too,  is  the  tiny  room,  the  prison  of  *the  young 
Queen  Caroline  Matilda,  with  barred  window,  over- 
looking the  stormy  sea. 

The  picture  of  Kronborg  Castle  on  a  cup  con- 
jures up  a  list  of  tragic  memories.  It  is  meet 
that  it  should  find  a  record  in  Copenhagen  porce- 
lain.    It  is  a  page  from  Danish  history. 

Plates  of  this  period  show  the  heavy  style  that 
had  descended  on  the  factory.     Peep  gold  bands 
enclose    a   circular    picture,   painted    in    a   warm 
brown  colour  by  Garmein  about  1820-1825.    They 
are  mainly  topographical  in  character.     A  plate 
painted  by  Jensen  is  signed  with 
his  initial,  together  with  the  three 
blue  lines  as  a  factory  mark  (illus- 
trated, p.  189) .    It  is  a  fine  flower- 
subject  in  natural  colours,  representing  primula, 
blue  flowers,  and  daffodil.     The  border  is  richly 
gilded  and  has  three  distinct  patterns  ;  it  evidently 
has  been  used  as  an   experimental  piece.     It  is 
now  in  the  Museum  at  the*  royal 
factory.     There  are  other  plates     *'^^^^     T 
painted  in  colours  by  L.  Lyngbe,      .^li^'^    JLa 
in   1831   and   1833  respectively, 
bearing    his    initial    L.      They  are  decorated    in 
rich  gilding  by  Brandstrup.     One  represents  Soroe 
(with  title  on  medaUion),  the  Eton  of  Denmark. 
The  other  is  of  Prince's  Palace,   Christiansborg, 
Copenhagen. 


196    KOYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

The  Thorvaldsen  Period. — In  1867  the  factory 
came  under  the  control  of  A.  Falck,  and  the 
director  Holm,  although  not  capable  of  raising 
the  artistic  output  to  its  old  level,  introduced  a 
new  feature  in  a  number  of  biscuit  figures  after 
Thorvaldsen,  the  great  Danish  sculptor. 

We  reproduce  the  well-known  figure  of  the  god 
Mercury,  as  indicating  the  beauty  of  these  produc- 
tions. Interesting  as  they  are,  and  undoubtedly 
possessing  great  delicacy  as  replicas  of  master- 
pieces of  another  art,  the  decadent  note  is  still 
present  in  denoting  that  the  modellers  had  to 
seek  inspiration  elsewhere.  It  is  pleasurable  to 
be  able  to  collect  a  miniature  gallery  of  Thorvald- 
sen's  work  in  porcelain,  but  the  potting  and 
modelhng  of  them  added  nothing  to  the  creative 
faculty  of  the  artists  at  the  factory. 

The  only  productions  of  importance  now  con- 
ducted were  an  occasional  jubilee  or  presentation 
vase  made  from  Hetch's  old  moulds,  decorated 
with  a  view  of  some  villa  or  some  edifice  associ- 
ated with  the  person  who  ordered  the  vase.  They 
were  usually  covered  with  lilac  01^  purple  ground 
and  profusely  gilded. 

The  flame  had  not  gone  out,  but  it  was  flickering 
fitfully,  and  the  artistic  impulses  in  painting,  and 
the  poetry  that  had  never  died  in  Denmark,  were 
stirring  to  kindle  the  fire  into  renewed  life. 

Since  Hoyen,  the  historian,  delivered  his  lecture 
in  1844  On  the  Conditions  for  the  Development  of 
^  National  Scandinavian  Art,  artists  had  turned 


1 


THE  SUCCESSORS   OF  MULLER      197 

homewards.  There  was  the  national  spirit  of  the 
northern  people,  the  peasants  and  the  lisher-folk, 
to  make  the  Danish  genre  picture.  There  was 
nothing  northern  to  be  found  in  Rome.  Eckersberg 
had  indicated  the  way,  and  with  the  study  of 
man  came  the  study  of  nature.  Johann  Thomas 
Lunbye,  with  his  cattle  and  his  forest  landscapes, 
caught  the  somnolent  air  of  cattle  before  Troyon 
had  set  the  fashion  in  France.  Peter  Christian 
Skovgaad  interpreted  the  spiritual  beauty  of  the 
Danish  beech-woods ;  his  favourite  light  was  the 
cold  pale  day  of  the  northern  sky  with  its  sober 
blue.  Kroyer,  with  his  Skagen  Fishers  at  Sunset, 
and  his  Fishermen  setting  out  by  Night,  surrounds 
the  Dansk  Folke  with  mystery  and  poetry. 

To  these  days  belong  the  rejuvenation  of  Danish 
art,  and  what  the  painter  was  doing  on  his  canvas 
the  ceramic  artist  was  shortly  to  do  on  his  vase 
and  on  his  placque.  The  dawn  of  the  Renaissance 
was  at  hand. 


I 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  MODERN 
RENAISSANCE 


I 

I 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   MODERN   RENAISSANCE 

The  after-effects  of  war — Philip  Schou,  Councillor  of 
State,  rebuilds  the  factory — Arnold  Krog  appointed 
art  director — A  new  technique  developed — Triumph 
of  modern  Copenhagen  porcelain — The  new  impulses 
stimulate  other  European  potters — A  new  note 
added  to  European  ceramic  art — The  avoidance  of 
classic  or  stereotyped  styles — The  idiosyncrasies  of 
Copenhagen — Intense  national  sentiment  of  Copen- 
hagen— Marks  of  leading  painters  and  modellers. 

On  the  threshold  of  the  great  Renaissance  of  art 
which  re-established  the  name  and  fame  of  the 
Royal  Copenhagen  Factory,  it  is  necessary  to 
look  at  the  subject  from  more  than  one  point 
of  view.  The  fire  which  Mliller  had  lit  had  been 
burning  dimly ;  indeed,  save  for  the  blue-and- 
white  utilitarian  ware,  it  had  almost  gone  out. 
The  Copenhagen  factory  was  a  century  old  in 
the  seventies.  Most  of  our  English  porcelain 
factories  had  put  out  their  furnaces  for  ever. 
Chelsea,  Derby,  Plymouth,  Bristol,  and  Bow 
had  entered  that   ghostly  realm  where  collectors 

201 


202    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

snatch  at  the  body  of  the  potters  and  posterity 
portions  out  the  inheritance  of  the  departed  great. 

The  years  of  the  EngHsh  porcelain  factc^es, 
with  their  triumphs  and  their  decadence,  were 
compassed  within  the  span  of  a  man's  Hfe.  Ply- 
mouth and  Bristol,  the  only  hard-paste  factories, 
together  ran  less  than  twenty  years.  Bow  suc- 
cumbed in  less  than  half  a  century.  Chelsea 
existed  only  thirty-nine  years,  and  Derby,  with 
all  its  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  changing  hands 
many  times,  never  reached  a  century  old.  The 
Worcester  factory  is  the  only  English  porcelain 
factory  in  existence  to-day  with  a  history  which 
goes  back  to  the  middle  years  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

The  half-century  from  1825  to  1875,  not  only 
in  Copenhagen  but  in  every  part  of  Europe, 
represents  a  dead  level  of  banality  in  art.  Sporadic 
attempts  to  awaken  enthusiasm  or  to  stimulate 
public  interest  fell  on  stony  ground.  Genius  un- 
requited, and  hardly  recognized,  consumed  its 
life  energy  in  solitary  grandeur  in  many  a  lonely 
furrow.  The  period  is  bounded  on  the  one  side 
by  the  Napoleonic  Wars,  and  on  the  other  by 
the  Crimean  War  and  by  the  Franco-Prussian 
War.  In  England,  artistic  impulses  were  stifled 
by  the  rapid  progress  of  the  age  of  machinery,  led 
by  the  Manchester  school  of  thought — Ricardo 
and  John  Stuart  Mill.  A  soil  so  sterile  as  this 
was  incapable  of  producing  the  highest  artistic 
results.     The    treasuries    of    many    of    the    great 


I 


d 


I'LACQUE.      WILD   GEESE   ON   ICE, 
Painted  in  underglaze  colours  by  Arnold  Krog.     Period  1891-1895. 


203 


•  •       •    •  « 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        205 

European    Powers   had   been   drained   almost    to 
depletion  by  vital  wax^s,  and  the  little  kingdom 
of  Denmark  had  her  share"  of  poUtical  troubles. 
The   war-cloud    had    settled    on    the    isthmus    of 
Schleswig-Holstein.    Prussia  and  Austria  and  Den- 
mark were  whirled  in  a  maelstrom  of    incessant 
warfare    concerning    the    duchies    of     Schleswig- 
Holstein.     All  the  Great  Powers  became  involved. 
For   forty   years   the   struggle .  in    one    form    or 
another  broke  out  anew  like  a  smouldering  fire. 
^  It  was  not  until  1866  that  the  Treaty  of  Vienna 
definitely  assigned  the  future  of  the  duchies  to 
the  Powers.     This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the 
rights   and   wrongs    of   a   prolonged    struggle    by 
Denmark  against  more  powerful  neighbours,  but 
in  consequence  of  the  widespread  arena  of  conflict, 
from   Missunde   to   Jutland,    and   the   large   war 
indemnity  paid,  it  is  manifest  that  the  fine  arts 
came    very    near    extinction    in    such    troublous 
times,   when   blow   upon   blow   was   rained   upon 
the  kingdom  of  Denmark. 

The  fortunes  of  the  factory  were  at  a  low  ebb, 
as  we  have  seen  in  dealing  with  the  decadent 
period.  But  in  1883  the  models,  stores,  and 
other  effects  of  the  factory  were  sold  to  the  Hmited 
company  "  Aluminia."  From  this  date  a  new 
future  commenced  for  the  factory. 

Philip  Schou  rebuilds  the  Factory.— The  hour 
demanded  the  man,  and  the  man  was  Philip 
Schou,  who  came  as  the  pioneer  of  modernity. 
In  the  outskirts  of  the  capital,  close  to  the  park 

10 


206    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


of  the  Castle  of  Frederiksberg,  large  buildings 
were  erected,  containing  workshops  provided  with 
the  latest  improvements  in  machines  and  kilns 
of  the  newest  designs.  The  ovens  were  much 
larger  than  the  older  type,  and  designed  to  hold 
about  15,000  pieces  of  average  size.  These  drastic 
changes  at  the  dawn  of  the  Renaissance,  entirely 
due  to  the  foresight  of  Schou,  necessitated  the 
expenditure  of  a  considerable  amount  of  money. 
It  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  during  the  first 
years  the  undertaking,  from  a  financial  point  , 
of  view,  did  not  prove  successful.  This,  at  the 
time,  except  to  Schou,  may  not  have  been  recog- 
nized as  the  happiest  omen,  but  it  is  a  postulate 
that  art  and  commercialism  do  not  usually  thrive 
together.  It  was  the  same  in  Miiller's  day  ;  it 
has  always  been  an  admitted  fact,  and  it  always 
will  be  acknowledged ,  that  the  cloven  hoof  of 
commercialism  has  marked  the  oncoming  of  a 
decadent  period.  But  Philip  Schou  had  ambitions 
and  desires  which  no  reverses  could  thwart.  His 
practical  grasp  of  the  situation  and  his  perspica- 
cious conception  of  future  possibilities,  which 
have  now  been  realized,  stamp  him  as  a  man 
possessed  of  that  rare  combination  of  poetry 
and  practicability  which  marks  the  pioneer  of 
any  great  enterprise. 

There  are  triumphs  of  great  business  organi- 
zation which  compel  our  admiration  in  no  less 
degree  than  artistic  achievements  won  in  equally 
adverse    conditions.      To   build   up   the    decayed 


PLACQUE. 

With  autumnal  scene  painted  in  underglaze  colours. 
By  Arnold  Krog.    Period  1896-1900. 


207 


THE  MODERN   RENAISSANCE        209 

fortunes  of  a  moribund  art,  to  combat  financial 
disaster  and  impending  ruin,  require  indomitable 
courage  and  intensity  of  application  which  cannot 
be  classed  other  than  as  genius. 

The  great  period  of  Miiller  and  the  great 
triumphs  were  sinking  into  oblivion.  Of  the 
once  famous  factory  it  seemed  as  though  little 
might  be  left  but  the  name.  The  old  models  of 
beautiful  symmetry  had  long  been  set  aside  or 
even  destroyed.  The  favourite  blue-and-white 
service,  the  national  pattern  treasured  as  the 
remaining  heirloom,  had  lost  all  its  style  and 
harmony.  Haphazard  conditions  prevailed  and 
slovenly  results  predominated.  Originality  had 
taken  wing  and  deserted  the  old  factory.  The 
old  mussel  design  was  painted  on  any  form 
that  found  its  way  into  Denmark  from  other 
factories.  Copenhagen  was  content  to  follow, 
and  leave  art  and  prestige  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves. Now  and  again  artistic  productions,  such 
as  a  wedding  or  a  jubilee  vase  made  from  the 
old  ijioulds,  like  milestones,  marked  the  road. 
With  this  material,  with  its  poverty  of  art  and 
paucity  of  ideas,  the  new  director,  shrewd  and 
energetic,  saw  that  no  headway  could  be  made. 
A  demand  for  artistic  and  original  decoration  of 
articles  of  domestic  use  and  luxury  was  just 
making  itself  felt,  and  there  was  some  talk  of 
creating  a  national  Christian  VI  style.  But  the 
factory  has  accompHshed  something  greater — 
it  has  created  a  European  style. 


210    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

The  early  days  of  the  factory,  with  its  new 
impulses  and  its  youthful  spirit  of  modernity,' 
are  reflected  at  once  in  the  first  attempts  to 
inaugurate  something  of  artistic  and  permanent 
value.  The  comparison  between  Schou  and 
Miiller  holds  good  in  many  respects  They  both 
were  men  in  advance  of  their  day.  They  were 
builders,  not  only  in  the  sense  of  being  pioneers 
of  an  artistic  industry,  but  in  the  practical  sense 
of  laying  down  ovens  and  expending  money  on 
valuable  plant  as  a  means  to  the  great  end 
they  had  in  view.  The  struggle  against  adversity, 
the  accumulating  cloud  of  financial  losses,  the 
want  of  outside  support,  are  common  factors  in 
both  these  men's  sturdy  fight  against  failure. 
Miiller  had  to  combat  the  inheritance  of  failure 
left  by  Fournier,  and  Philip  Schou  had  to 
overcome  the  deathly  inertia  that  had  paralysed 
the  factory  during  the  decadence.  It  is  not 
easy  to  find  co-operation  in  face  of  a  general 
tendency  in  an  opposite  direction.  Mediocre 
minds  find  it  more  congenial  to  float  uncon- 
cernedly with  the  stream.  Schou  was  the  strong 
swimmer  fighting  against  the  current. 

There  is  one  other  point  where  he  claims  kinship 
with  Miiller  ;  he  was  feUcitous  in  the  selection  of 
his  lieutenants,  and  his  choice  of  artistic  assistance 
to  further  his  ambitions  was  as  wise  as  it  was 
phenomenally  prescient. 

Arnold  Krog  appointed  Art  Director. — In  1885 
Arnold   Krog  became   an   artist   at   the   factory. 


I?/: 


•  •  •  •,•'• 


THE   MODERN  RENAISSANCE        213 

Trained  as  an  architect  and  a  painter,  he  had 
already  spent  live  years  in  the  restoration  of 
Frederiksborg  Castle,  and  like  those  old  Italian 
craftsmen  who  made  all  art  their  domain,  he 
came  to  the  decoration  of  porcelain  with  instinc- 
tive appreciation  of  its  qualities. 

A  happier  combination  than  this  could  not 
have  been  desired.  Schou,  the  business  head, 
the  man  of  strength  of  purpose,  tenacity  of  will, 
battling  with  stern  facts  and  figures,  and  Arnold 
Krog,  the  artist  and  dreamer,  inventing  new 
forms,  wrestHng  with  technical  problems  with 
a  practical  skill  wedded  to  poetic  impulses. 

The  days  of  early  Renaissance  were  filled  with 
eager  incessant  work,  and  whatever  difficulties 
surged  up  to  the  doors  of  the  factory,  Schou 
resisted  them  bravely.  He  believed  in  the  future 
of  the  factory,  he  believed  in  the  work  of  the 
artists.  It  was  this  great  proud  belief  of  a  great 
man  in  his  life's  work  that  created  the  second 
great  period  in  the  history  of  the  Royal  Copen- 
hagen Porcelain  Factory.  This  quotation  from 
a  fellow-worker  of  that  date  shows  how  lovingly 
his  memory  is  still  cherisfied  :  "  Optimistic  and 
broad-minded  man  as  he  was,  he  firmly  believed 
that  the  factory  would  succeed  in  spite  of  all 
difficulties.  He  did  not  look  for  immediate  profit, 
but  left  us  to  work  in  peace,  undisturbed  by 
all  the  anxieties  and  pecuniary  difficulties  with 
which  he,  as  managing  director,  must  have  had 
to  contend." 


214    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

A  New  Technique  developed. — In  regard  to  the 
direction  in  decoration  which  the  new  porcelain 
took,  it  is  interesting  to  reaHze  how  distinct  a 
departure  this  was  from  contemporary  art.  The 
moment  that  Arnold  Krog  awakened  to  the  fact 
that  the  body  of  the  porcelain  is  smooth,  .white, 
hard,  and  of  surpassing  beauty,  that  moment 
determined  its  future.  To  cover  it  with  colours 
or  with  gold  in  the  overglaze  style,  as  his  pre- 
decessors had  done,  was  at  once  to  extinguish 
its  innate  loveliness.  If  blue  dots  and  lines  could 
be  painted  on  plates,  surely,  thought  the  new 
art  director,  other  artistic  designs  could  be 
produced  in  the  same  manner.  From  these 
premises  the  principle  of  underglaze  painting 
was  accepted,  and  has  been  since  followed  so 
successfully. 

The  ^determination  of  the  method  emploj^ed 
immediately  led  to  the  inquiry  as  to  the  exact 
definition  such  painting  was  to  take.  The  diffi- 
culty now  was  to  decide  what  to  paint.  It  was 
obvious  that  mere  ornamentation  would  lead  to 
nothing  new.  Could  Europe  teach  Copenhagen 
anything  ?  It  apparently  could,  at  that  stage. 
Accordingly,  Philip  Schou  and  Arnold  Krog  made 
a  tour  of  Holland,  Belgium,  France,  and  England, 
and  visited  many  of  the  leading  factories.  At 
the  Antwerp  Exhibition  they  saw  many  beautiful 
things  from  Sevres  and  the  other  great  European 
factories,  but  they  had  to  admit  that  their  journey 
was  in  a  great  measure  fruitless,  as  they  did  not 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        21 


discover  what  they  sought — new  impulses  for 
original  work. 

It  was  not  enough  that  all  traditional  arabesques 
and  scrolls  should  be  discarded :  the  plain  white 
resplendent  surface  of  the  ware  demanded  its 
place  in  the  scheme  of  decoration. 

At  Paris,  Arnold  Krog  visited  the  collection  of 
M.  S.  Bing,  who  had  just  returned  with  rich 
treasures  of  Oriental  art  from  China  and  Japan. 
These  masterpieces  in  bronze,  earthenware,  porce- 
lain, and  ivory,  together  with  drawings  and  colour- 
prints  with  endless  variety  of  composition,  brought 
with  them  aii  atmosphere  of  '  ancient  culture, 
artistic  genius,  and  unerring  instinct,  and  to  the 
mind  capable  of  unlocking  the  mysteries  of  the 
old  unexplored  East  they  revealed  their-  secret. 

The  immediate  results  indicate  clearly  enough 
that  Copenhagen  had  not  "  jumped  a  claim  " 
and  found  treasure-trove  upon  which  she  could 
live  till  others  gained  the  secret.  There  was  no 
slavish  imitation  of  the  designs  of  the  Oriental 
potter,  as  was  the  case  with  Sevres  and  with 
Worcester.  With  true  vision,  the  results  of  the 
East  were  traced  to  the  original  source  of  inspira- 
tion, and  henceforth  Nature  in  all  her  forms, 
in  all  her  varying  phases  and  moods,  became 
the  mirror  into  which  Copenhagen  looked  to  see 
herself  reflected. 

With  such  an  ideal  before  the  factory  there 
was  work  enough  for  all  and  much  to  be  accom- 
phshed.     The    records    of    this    period    show    the 


216    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

incessant  labours  of  all  concerned  in  building 
anew  the  fortunes  of  the  factory.  Liisberg  the 
sculptor  was  appointed  modeller,  and  a  young 
apprentice,  Hallin,  was,  made  his  assistant.  The 
extreme  difficulty  of  the  technique  offered  frequent 
disappointments.  The  tone  is  determined  by  the 
exact  thickness  of  the  layer  of  pigment  applied, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  between  the 
different  shades  before  the  firing  has  taken  place. 
The  only  guide  in  this  work  is  a  fine  instinct. 
But  the  enthusiasm  of  the  little  band  of  workers, 
modellers  and  artists,  was  not  damped  by  the 
vagaries  of  the  furnace.  With  little  enough  by 
way  of  precedent  to  guide  them,  they  attained 
a  sure  and  unerring  technique  and  a  complete 
mastery  over  the  idiosyncrasies  of  the  medium  in 
which  they  worked.  These  early  years  of  intense 
application  have. created  traditions  for  the  factory, 
and  the  days  of  Philip  Schou  stand  as  never  to 
be  forgotten  in  the  strenuous  outburst  of  initiative 
industry  which  has  raised  a  monument  to  Danish 
handicraft  and  culture.  In  1902  PhiUp  Schou 
resigned  his  position  as  managing  director,  and 
it  is  pleasurable  to  record  that  in  a  full  and  com- 
plete life  he  has  seen  his  early  dreams  realized. 
He  received  decoration  at  the  hands  of  foreign 
Governments,  and  in  1888  was  made  a  knight- 
commander  of  the  Legion  of  Honour.  Copen- 
hagen porcelain  had  won  European  distinction, 
being  acclaimed  as  adding  new  impulses  and 
teaching  a  new  technique  to  the  older  factories. 


.    o 
if.  "O 

^  s 


a 


II 


217 


•  o  •  ,  »  , 

?  \ •  *  - 


THE   MODERN  RENAISSANCE        219 

The  early  successes  of  the  porcelain  were  as 
surprising  to  the  leading  experts  of  Europe  as 
they  were  gratifying  to  the  pioneers  of  the  Copen- 
hagen Renaissance.  Ity  is  an  interesting  fact  that 
the  first  piece  painted  in  underglaze  colours  was 
bought  in  September  1885  by  the  Duke  of  Suther- 
land, whose  yacht  was  lying  in  the  Sound.  The 
Duke  paid  a  visit  to  the  royal  factory,  and 
although  at  that  time  only  three  pieces  were 
finished,  he  carried  off  a  specimen  decorated  with 
a  stork  flying  over  a  lake.  Such  an  historic 
piece  as  this  is  now  worth  a  considerable  sum. 

Triumph  of  Modern  Copenhagen  Porcelain. — At 
the  great  International  Exposition  at  Paris  in 
1889,  the  Royal  Copenhagen  exhibit  attracted 
unusual  attention.  Although  the  factory  was  not 
then  in  a  position  to  make  a  grand  show  of  large 
or  costly  pieces,  French  collectors  and  connoisseurs 
besieged  the  show-cases,  and  the  demand  far 
exceeded  the  supply,  ten  times  the  price  asked 
being  offered  in  many  instances  by  disappointed 
collectors.  Within  fourteen  days  of  the  opening 
of  the  Exhibition  everything  of  any  artistic  value 
was  sold.  Coupled  with  this  commercial  success 
came  the  award  of  the  Grand  Prix  d'homteur,  a 
rare  distinction  at  that  time-,  especially  for  so 
small  an  undertaking. 

At  this  Exhibition  the  coloured  crystalHne 
glazes  were  shown  for  the  first  time.  These, 
now  so  well  known  in  the  adoption  by  most  of 
the  leading  factories  of  the  world,  were  discovered 


220    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

in  1886  by  Clement,  the  chemist  at  the  Royal 
Copenhagen  Factor}^  and  perfected  by  his  suc- 
cessor, Hr.  Engelhardt.  (This  crystalHne  ware  is 
dealt  with  separately  in  Chapter  X.) 

The  days  of  the  early  Renaissance  were  full  of 
promise — a  promise  that  has  not  been  unfulfilled. 
The  old  factories,  with  traditions  of  a  century 
and  a  half,  threw  off  their  lethargy  at  the  trumpet- 
blast  of  modernity.  The  Copenhagen  factory  was 
like  the  fairy  prince  of  the  romantic  tale  who 
blew  the  magic  horn  and  awakened  the  sleeping 
princesses. 

The  New  Impulses  stimulate  other  European 
Potters. — Art  criticism  of  this  period  abounds  in 
glov/ing  tribute.  M.  Edouard  Garnier,  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Sevres  factory,  wrote  in  the 
Gazette  des  Beaux  Arts  in  1889  :  "  Not  one  of  the 
foreign  porcelain  factories  which  in  1878  threatened 
to  become  dangerous  rivals  to  us  seems  to  have 
made  any  progress  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  beautiful 
exhibits  of  the  Royal  Porcelain  Factory  of  Copen- 
hagen are  quite  a  revelation  to  us  :  they  show 
quite  a  new  spirit  in  the  art  of  porcelain-making." 

Among  the  varied  developments  at  this  time 
considerable  attention  was  given  to  the  form  of 
the  blue-and-white  "  mussel  "-painted  ware,  and 
a  wonderful  variety  of  shapes  followed  each  other 
in  quick  succession.  All  the  old  artificial  and 
oftentimes  meaningless  designs  which  had  crept 
in  during  the  decadent  period  were  discarded, 
and  were  replaced  by  tasteful  and  natural  designs 


.  •  ^  •«  «  ' .  I  •    • 


PLACgUE. 
Painted  in  underglaze  colours,  by  C.  Liisberg.    Diameter  12  inches. 


221 


•>    •       •    _m  • 


THE   MODERN   RENAISSANCE        223 

which  were  conceived  with  a  view  to  the  char- 
acteristic lines  in  their  decoration.  The  great 
and  wonderful  inventiveness  and  rich  variety  of 
this  table  ware  in  its  thousand  forms  are  therefore 
the  consummation  of  the  incessant  search  for  truth 
and  symmetry  and  beauty  which  characterized 
the  early  Renaissance  period. 

If  proof  be  needed  of  the  great  influence  Copen- 
hagen art  exercised  on  contemporary  ceramics, 
the  proof  is  ready  to  hand.  Just  eleven  years 
after  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1889  came  the  great 
Exposition  of  1900,  and  an  examination  of  the 
grand-feu  specimens  of  the  Sevres  factory  shows 
to  what  extent  the  delicate  tones  of  the  new  Copen- 
hagen technique  in  underglaze  painting  had  affected 
the  French  potters.  Crystalline  glazes  had  by 
this  time  been  developed.  In  1894  M.  Edouard 
Garnier,  of  the  National  factory  at  Sevres,  in 
again  passing  judgment  upon  the  work  of  Copen- 
hagen, refers  to  the  fact  that  two  specimens 
exhibiting  "marvellous  skill  in  the  execution" — 
the  Flight  of  the  Sparrows  and  the  Lilacs — w^re 
bought  for  inclusion  in  the  modern  collection  of 
ceramic  art  of  the  Sevres  Museum,  and  to  this 
museum  Hr.  Philip  Schou  sent  the  first  specimens 
of  varied  colorations  "  au  grand  feu  "  and  the 
experiments  made  by  Hr.  Engelhardt  of  full  or 
partial  crystallized  glazes. 

In  regard  to  the  general  atmosphere  of  the 
grand-feu  ceramics,  the  Sevres  factory  had  by 
1900,    the    year   of   the    Exhibition,    turned    with 


224    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

such  fond  eyes  to  Copenhagen  that  the  results 
then  offered,  triumphs  though  they  were,  reflected 
something  more  than  usual  of  the  Northern  spirit. 
For  instance,  one  remembers  the  two  great  biscuit 
groups  in  hard  porcelain  for  table  decoration  at 
the  ;^ilysee,  by  Fremiet,  the  master  sculptor. 
These  were  4  feet  8  inches  in  height,  and  were 
marvels  of  fabrication.  The  one  was  the  Athenian 
Minerva,  and  the  other  the  Scandinavian  Diana 
standing  in  her  chariot,  with  a  hound  at  her 
feet  and  driving  two  reindeer.  These  were  the 
first  pieces  of  so  great  a  size  ever  made  in  biscuit 
at  Sevres.  Figures  of  Northern  animals  followe(j 
the  success  of  the  factory  by  the  Baltic,  arid  there 
was  one,  a  Wolf  tracing  human  steps  in  the  snow, 
by  M.  Valton,  which  won  commendation.  Nor 
was  this  all.  The  grey  tones  were  successfully 
reproduced  in  the  Danish  Dogs,  by  Gardfet. 

There  is  no  greater  tribute  to  pay  to  the  in- 
spiring genius  behind  '  the  Royal  Copenhagen 
Factory, than  to  enumerate  these  instances  of  old 
factories  with  the  prestige  of  Sevres  and  Meissen 
haihng  the  newly  awakened .  spirit  of  a  younger 
factory.  On  every  side,  in  these  days,  came  the 
tribute  of  praise  generously  given  by  masters 
of  technique  and  by  rival  workers  in  art.  The 
Renaissance  was  something  more  than  a  name — 
it  had  become  an  accomplished  fact. 

The  great  achievement  of  the  modern  Renais- 
sance period  is  the  creation  of  a  new  technique 
in  underglaze  decoration,  which  has  added  some- 


THE  MODERN   RENAISSANCE        225 

thing  to  modern  European  ceramic  art.  The 
underglaze  blue,  employed  at  the  old  royal  factory 
by  Miiller,  was  famiUar  from  early  Meissen  days. 
But  the  revelation  that  underglaze  painting  of 
landscape  had  become  something  more  romantic 
than  Chiaese  prototypes  was  a  fact  only  realized 
after  Copenhagen  had  made  successful  experiment. 
The  landscape  of  the  Oriental  potter,  at  the  best, 
had  something  of  formality  and  followed  a  con- 
vention alien  to  Western  laws  of  perspective. 
Differing  essentially  from  the  enamel  colours  of 
the  overglaze  Continental  work,  and  not  less  so 
from  the  glost-kiln  colours  of  the  English  factories 
in  their  underglaze  work,  the  grand-feu  colours, 
vvith  their  scheme  of  harmonies  imparted  some- 
thing fresh  and  original  to  the  art  of  the  modern 
potter. 

It  is,  therefore,  of  great  interest,  comrningled 
with  considerable  speculation,  to  contemplate  the 
various  stages  of  evolution  of  this  characteristic 
style,  and  to  await  the  future  phases  of  its  develop- 
ment. 

In  reviewing  the  work  of  this  Renaissance  period, 
an  attempt  has  been  made  by  the  writer  to  arrive 
at  some  conclusion  as  to  that  exact  point  of  time 
at  which  the  genius  of  the  factory  reaches  its 
whitest  heat  during  a  brilliant  quarter  of  a  century 
of  work.  In  a  rich  field  of  design  which  exhibits 
so  much  character  and  freshness,  when  new 
surprises  may  come  forth  from  the  oven  at 
any  moment,  no  inconsiderable   difficulty  presents 


226    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

itself   in  selecting  any  period  where  the  work  is, 
more  excellent. 

Happily,  in  contemplating  the  underglaze  pro- 
ductions of  Copenhagen,  there  is  an  extended 
period  which  may  be  passed  in  review.  It  is 
perhaps  natural,  when  making  tests  of  the  general 
output  of  work,  to  select  the  middle  years  as 
productive  of  ceramic  art  of  the  highest  order. 
There  is  the  advantage  in  point  of  date  of  being 
able  to  apply  a  standard  to  it,  either  side  by  side 
with  earlier  work,  or  in  comparison  with  later 
creations  in  the  same  style  of  decoration  by  the  ' 
same  band  of  artists  and  modellers. 

The  number  and  character  of  the  decorative 
pieces  produced  at  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain 
Factory  during  the  ten  years  from  1896  to  1905, 
to  which  the  highest  praise  has  been  given,  seem 
to  indicate  that  a  close  investigation  of  the 
details  of  the  work  of  the  individual  modellers 
and  artists  might  with  advantage  be  pursued  by 
those  cosmopolitan  collectors  intent  on  acquiring 
masterpieces  representative  of  the  highest  modern 
ceramic  art. 

Personal  tastes  and  predilections  arc  not  un- 
important factors  in  passing  judgment  upon  the 
present-day  work  of  the  factory,  but  the  authorities 
of  museums  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  whose 
standard  is  a  high  one,  have  not  hesitated  in 
selecting  modern  examples  of  Royal  Copenhagen 
porcelain.  In  following  the  trend  of  the  develop- 
ment  of  the   porcelain   since   the  great   outburst 


I 


PLACQUE.      SNOW   SCENE   WITH   SETTING   SUN. 
Painted  in  underglaze  colours.    Signed  A.  Smidth. 


327 


'  •  -  -• 


.•  u**  ^•-••»  • 


r  •      •  • 


THE   MODERN   RENAISSANCE        229 

in  1900,  when  at  the  Paris  Exhibition  by  general 
acclamation  Copenhagen  was  acknowledged  to 
be  ahead  of  all  other  European  factories,  dis- 
interested critics  and  less  disinterested  competitors 
have  eagerly  watched  the  progress  of  the  Danish 
ware.  Art  requires  no  passport  to  cross  inter- 
national barriers,  and  foreign  experts  have  enthu- 
siastically admitted  that  the  work  of  Copenhagen 
is  of  surprising  beauty.  At  successive  exhibitions, 
when  nation  has  stood  in  friendly  rivalry  with 
nation,  the  ceramic  record  of  Copenhagen  has 
not  been  dimmed  by  equal  work.  So  far  it  is 
still  in  advance  of  every  one  in  Europe.  Imitators 
it  has,  and,  as  the  old  adage  puts  it,  "  imitation 
is  the  sincerest  form  of  flattery." 

The  question  is  always  asked  of  factories  "with 
a  past,"  whether  it  be  Sevres  or  Meissen,  Wedg- 
wood or  Worcester — Is  the  work  of  to-day  an 
echo  of  past  glories,  has  the  lamp  burned  dim, 
is  the  sacred  fire  still  alight  ?  In  regard  to  other 
factories  this  is  not  the  place  to  make  any  pro- 
nouncement, nor  is  it  impossible  to  say  that  at 
any  moment  the  spirit  of  the  presiding  genius  of 
these  great  factories  with  great  traditions  may 
awaken  to  inspire  anew  the  modern  potters  upon 
whom  the  mantle  of  succession  has  fallen.  To 
cover  European  factories  in  a  survey  is  often  to 
come  upon  silent  and  deserted  temples  with 
decrepit  worshippers  offering  sacrifices  to  a  dim 
and  distant  past.     But  the  oracle  may  yet  speak. 

It  is  here  that  Copenhagen,  with  its  great  period 


230    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

of  overglaze  work,  under  the  Miiller  regime,  holding 
equality  with  the  great  factories  of  its  day,  as 
we  have  shown  in  earlier  chapters,  now  comes 
forward  with  a  second  great  period  of  underglaze 
work,  bearing  no  immediate  relationship  with  the 
first.  Holger  Danske  has  awakened  to  give  magic 
potency  to  the  Danish  art. 

The  following  are  the  chief  characteristics  of 
Royal  Copenhagen  porcelain.  It  is  always  hard 
fired  au  grand  feu,  and  the  various  classes  of  the 
underglaze  decorated  ware  may  be  summarized 
as  follows  : — 

Underglaze  Painted 

I.  Individual  Pieces. 

Vases  and  placques  signed  by  the  artists  who 
have  painted  them.  Such  unique  specimens  of 
personal  work  are  never  reproduced. 

(A  list  of  artists,  with  facsimile  reproductions  of 
their  signatures,  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this 
chapter.) 

II.  General  Art  Objects. 

Vases,  placques,  bibelots,  and  ornamental 
subjects. 

These  are  designed  with  a  view  to  general 
production,  and  this  practice  has  originated  since 

1893. 

In  this  class  may  be  included  the  collection  of 
Commemorative  Placques  designed  by  Arnold 
Krog.    The  number  struck  of  these  i$  Umited, 


PLACQUE./    '     . 

With  geese  and  landscape  painted  1«*  un^tYglJiie* dbUmftT 
Signed  C.  F.  Liisberg. 


•••  •  •»  •  ^^ 


,  -• »  It  *• 


231 


•       •    •• 


'•   ♦  •*«,»;  r.j»; 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        233 

and  they  are  never  repeated  after  the  occasion 
for  which  they  were  made  (see  p.  243). 

More  strictly  utiHtarian  ware  is  represented  by 
the  continuous  output  of  the  blue-and-white 
fluted  service,  to  which  new  forms  are  constantly 
being  added. 

III.  Figure  Subjects. 

Peasants,  children,  and  animal  life— quadrupeds, 
birds,  and  fish — all  modelled  directly  from  nature. 

IV.  Vases  and  Modelled  Subjects  with  Coloured  or 

Crystallized  Glazes. 

This  style  was  commenced  at  Copenhagen  as 
early  as  1886,  and  is  described  in  detail,  Chapter  X. 

Overglaze  Painted  Porcelain 

Revival  of  porcelain  in  the  style  of  the  Juliane 
Marie,  period,  modelled  and  decorated  from  old 
and  rare  examples.  This  is  the  latest  phase  of 
development. 

In  tabulated  form  some  conception  may  be 
formed  as  to  the  classes  into  which  the  work  of 
the  modern  Renaissance  may  be  divided.  Some- 
thing must  be  said  about  the  immediate  causes 
which  directed  the  line  of  progression  and  advance- 
ment in  the  course  it  has  taken. 

The  principles  of  decoration  especially  apply- 
ing to  porcelain,  smooth,  white,  and  hard,  such  as 

11 


234    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

this,  have  been  realized  to  the  full  by  Arnold 
Krog,  the  art  director  of  the  factory. 

The  uttermost  developments  of  the  underglaze 
painting  are  governed  by  the  axiom  that  such 
a  fine  body  as  that  of  the  Copenhagen  porcelain 
is  instantly  destroyed  by  being  covered  with 
colours  or  with  gilding.  The  old  Danish  mussel- 
blue  painted  underglaze  dinner  ware  is  the  skeleton 
upon  which  the  fabric  of  the  modern  Renaissance 
movement  has  been  built. 

The  Avoidance  of  Classic  or  Stereotyped  Styles. 
— Something  of  the  forcefulness  of  the  originality 
of  Copenhagen  may  be  gathered  from  a  brief 
hypothetical  survey  of  what  divergent  paths 
design  might  have  taken  even  at  that  critical 
moment  when  it  was  determined  to  employ  the 
underglaze  colours  for  decorative  landscape  sub- 
jects. The  conventional  panel  might  have  been 
still  employed,  and  with  it  the  formal  scenes  of 
gardens  with  cavaliers  and  ladies,  bringing  the 
Chinese  landscape  subject  into  Western  perspec- 
tive, and  at  the  same  time  eschewing  the  vivid 
colours  of  Sevres  or  Meissen.  Or  underglaze 
painting,  in  blue  and  the  other  grand-feu  colours, 
might  have  found  itself  in  panels  supplemented 
by  overglaze  enamel  colours  of  bright  tone,  in 
floral  decoration,  or  ceil-de-perdrix  and  other 
luscious  patterns,  and  richly  gilded.  It  might, 
not  unnaturally,  have  appeared  to  be  a  safer 
beginning  to  develop  the  Danish  conventional 
pattern  into  something  more  intricate  in  design. 


THE   MODERN   RENAISSANCE        235 

with  geometrical  borders  and  formal  floral  paint- 
ing or  with  old  Scandinavian  interlaced  designs 
of  Runic  character,  exhibiting  the  newer  advance 
of  underglaze  treatment. 

Copenhagen,  with  wise  rejection,  took  none 
of  these  courses,  and  the  Renaissance  leapt  into 
being  not  only  with  new  applications  of  under- 
glaze painting,  but  with  a  complete  and  rapidly 
perfected  theory  wherein  the  subject  became  a 
ceramic  poem.  Throwing  all  convention  to  the 
winds,  it  brought  tone  to  underglaze  painting, 
and  within  the  limits  of  the  potter's  technique, 
the  same  relative  atmospheric  quality  to  the 
decorated  vase  or  placque  as  there  is  on  the  canvas 
of  the  painter. 

The  porcelain  found  itself  in  an  incredibly 
short  time,  and  rapidly  passed  through  its  initial 
stages.  The  first  light  had  come  from  the  East. 
The  influx  into  Europe  of  some  of  the  finest  art 
work  of  Japan  had  a  marked  effect  on  design. 

But  Krog's  genius  was  too  original  to  snatch 
at  the  body  ;  he  caught  the  spirit  of  the  best,  and 
the  first  attempts  have  a  slight  indication  of 
their  origin,  till  with  full  strength  Copenhagen 
needed  no  guiding  hand  to  lead  her  to  the  in- 
spiration of  all  true  design  The  simple  forms  of 
nature  were  translated  into  ceramic  art,  and  the 
melting,  dreamy,  sad-hued  porcelain  was  imbued 
with  the  subtle  effects  of  the  Danish  landscape. 
The  great  simplicity  of  motif  was  the  great  sim- 
plicity of  genius.     The  effects  are  so  natural  and 


236    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

reticent  that  their  greatness  might  well  escape 
common  observation.  But .  the  trained  eyes  of 
half  the  potters  in  Europe  and  of  connoisseurs  of 
the  highest  ceramic  art  were  turned,  and  are 
turned  still,  to  the  output  of  the  Copenhagen 
factory.  Summa  ars  est  celare  artem  is  eminently 
applicable  to  the  art  of  Arnold  Krog  and  the  band 
of  Danish  artists  trained  under  him.  There  is 
nothing  showy  or.  clever,  nothing  cheap  or  mere- 
tricious in  all  their  work.  Everything  that  has 
come  from  Krog's  hands  has  been  well  conceived, 
and  an  honest  attempt  made  not  to  win  admiration 
but  to  make  one  step  forward  in  artistic  evolution 
towards  the  ideal.  Without  seeking  reward  he 
has  won  the  esteem  of  the  cultured  critics  of  a 
whole  continent.  »' 

The  Idiosyncrasies  of  Copenhagen. — Wlierein  lies 
the  strength  of  Copenhagen  porcelain  ?  The 
mysteries  of  underglaze  did  not  originate  in 
Denmark.  The  blue,  greenish-yellow,  brown,  sea- 
green,'  maroon,  lemon-colour,  celadon-green,  and 
red,  are  colours  found  painted  under  the  glaze 
in  old  Chinese  examples  in  collections  in  various 
European  museums.  But  there  is  a  difference. 
Chinese  landscapes  in  blue  have  a  charm  and 
atmosphere  of  their  own,  although  the  European 
taste  has  shown  a  marked  preference  for  enamel- 
painted  porcelain  of  more  brilliant  colours.  The 
underglaze  of  4;he  East  was  mainly  confined  to 
decorative  conventional  treatment.  There  is  the 
exquisite  family  of  jars,  designed  as  presents  at 


I 


THE   MODERN  RENAISSANCE        237 

the  New  Year,  painted  underglaze,  with  the 
prunus  blossom,  and  geometric  pattern  repre- 
senting the  breaking  ice.  These  are  grotesquely 
termed  "  ginger  jars  "  in  the  jargon  of  the  auction- 
room,  and  fine  specimens  bring  immense  prices 
under  the  hammer.  In  a  measure  these,  and 
vases  and  beakers  with  floral  decoration,  and  cups 
and  saucers,  with  dragons  or  with  the  well-known 
"  aster  '*  pattern,  may  be  regarded,  as  conventional. 
From  these  prototypes  Meissen  and  Sevres  and 
Worcester  drew  many  fine  inspirations. 

In  underglaze  blue  painting  there  is  another 
class  with  landscapes  and  figures,  such  as  bowls, 
of  which  there  are  infinite  variety,  which  convey, 
in  lieu  of  regular  ornament,  a  certain  atmosphere. 
Even  the  ordinary  ginger  jar  of  commerce,  if  it 
be  old  enough,  exhibits  a  most  alluring  suggestive- 
ness.  These  designs  appear  to  be  traditional  on 
common  ginger  jars  half  a  century  apart  in  point 
of  time.  There  is  a  background  of  mountains, 
and  stretch  of  sky  with  a  triangular  flight  of  birds, 
flying  high.  There  is  a  tree  in  the  foreground, 
and  a  rustic  homestead.  On  a  bank  a  fisherman 
casts  a  line  into  the  water,  and  away  on  the  expanse 
'of  l^ke  stands  a  junk.  .  The  whole  is  crudely  and 
hastily  drawn,  and 'one  jar,  if  not  exactly  the 
counterpart  of  another,  has  the  same  details  in 
the  scene.  But,  curiously  -enough,  there  is  a 
poetry  and  depth  of  tone  about  these  common 
ginger  jars  which  is  difficult  to  define. 

To  arrive  at  a  technical  reason  for  these  differ- 


238    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 


ences  in  styles  is  to  examine  the  theories"  go verning 
the  art  of  ceramics.  To  take  the  overglaze  paint- 
ing ;  this  may  be  compared  to  the  canvas  of  the 
painter  which  is  covered  with  pigment.  His 
sky  is  blue  or  red  or  yellow  or  an  admixture  of 
all  three  ;  the  reflections  of  light  on  the  water  are 
touches  of  pigment.  There  is  no  part  of  the 
canvas  over  which  his  deft  brush  has  not  travelled. 
The  underglaze  painter  on  porcelain  is  like  the 
etcher,  who  obtains  his  illumination  from  the 
uncovered  surface  of  the  copper  upon  which  he 
works.  The  untouched  portion  of  the  plate  of 
the  etcher  forms  the  wide  expanse  of  sky,  and 
gives  luminosity  to  the  deeply  bitten  lines  of  his 
subject.  Similarly,  in  underglaze  painting  on  por- 
celain, the  dazzling  white  expanse  of  the  bod}^ 
afterwards  to  be  coated  with  limpid  transparent 
glaze,  is  the  background  into  which  the  design 
of  the  artist  must  imperceptibly  melt.  It  is  this 
depth  of  tone  and  atmosphere  which  give  poetic 
charm  to  underglaze  painting. 

But  the  subject  is  not  left  to  take  care  of  itself. 
Without  pictorial  indefinition  the  work  may  still 
remain  on  the  plain  of  formal  decoration  even 
though  that  be  superlatively  conceived  and 
executed. 

What  is  it  that  one  sees  when  one  comes  face 
to  face  for  the  first  time  with  a  Copenhagen  vase 
of  this  golden  period  ?  The  merest  dilettante  in 
porcelain-collecting  must  at  once  recognize  some- 
thing that  he  will  find  nowhere  else  in  his  cabinets. 


I 


o  n 

o"" 


U    U 
•rtSG 


> 


3  — 

O  " 


r-^K 


239 


V*  :•: 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        241 

In  form  there  is  always,  necessarily,  a  full  expanse 
to  carry  the  subject,  if  it  be  landscape.  Nor  is 
there  a  front  and  a  reverse,  as  in  the  old  school 
of  conventionally  treated  landscapes  circum- 
scribed by  panels.  There  is  a  breadth  and  con- 
tinuity of  subject  traversing  the  circumference 
of  the  vase,  which,  from  new  points  of  view,  offers 
new  surprises. 

The  body  is  white  and  hard  and  of  ivory-like 
closeness  when  seen  by  transmitted  light.  The 
rich  liquid  glaze  has  a  slight  greenish  tone  and 
has  a  surface  like  polished  crystal.  The  quality 
of  this  glaze  is  exceptionally  fine  and  possesses 
artistic  properties  peculiarly  its  own.  In  modelled 
subjects  such  as  fish  this  is  especially  noticeable. 
In  the  noble  figure  of  a  Sea  Lion,  this  glaze  simu- 
lates the  original  so  skilfully  that  the  sensation 
conveyed  is  exactly  that  of  the  smooth,  sleek, 
satin-like  texture  of  that  animal's  body.  It  is 
obvious  that  with  such  a  Vehicle  as  this  glaze 
the  effects  produced  in  landscape  painting  are 
those  seen  in  nature  in  the  sun-pierced  vaporous 
haze  of  a  climate  remarkable  for  its  exquisite  tones. 

In  colour  the  subjects  appear  in  low  tones  of 
subtle  elusiveness,  never,  by  reason  of  the  tech- 
nique of  the  underglaze  palette,  departing  from 
the  strictly  limited  range  of  colours  we  have 
enumerated.  The  tones  of  all  these  are  pitched 
in  a  minor  key.  The  brilliance  of  the  painter  in 
enamel  is  conspicuously  absent.  There  is  no 
scarlet,  or  bright  yellow,  or  mazarin  blue,  or  vivid 


242    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

green.  The  charm  of  colour  Ues  in  its  exquisite 
deUcacy.  It  is  the  highest  ceramic  landscape 
painting  offered  to  the  delectation  of  those  pos- 
sessed of  sufficient  connoisseurship  to  appreciate 
the  supreme  handhng  of  a  difficult  technique. 

It  departs  from  the  Chinese  prototypes  in  under- 
glaze  blue.  The  deep  blue  oi  Nankin  is  delightful 
in  its  poetry,  but  it  is  a  convention  that  land- 
scapes are  painted  all  blue.  Copenhagen  becomes 
more  realistic,  but  no  less  poetical,  with  added 
touches  of  amber,  and  mauve,  and  grey,  and  sage 
green,  and  the  blue,  pale  and  tender,  carries  out 
a  colour  scheme  which  stamps  this  Western  art 
as  something  original  and  ideal. 

It  is  thus  seen  that  in  body  and  glaze  and 
colouring  Copenhagen  has  excellent  points  chal- 
lenging comparison  with  anything  that  has  gone 
before.  But  with  these  technical  problems  solved 
satisfactorily,  there  is  yet  something  to  be  added, 
which  has  created  a  reflective  school  of  design 
and  elevated  Copenhagen  to  its  present  status. 
This  quality,  difficult  to  describe,  and  yet  ever- 
present  in  the  results  when  submitted  to  definite 
criticism,  may  be  roughly  summarized  as  con- 
sisting of  two  essential  traits  of  discipUned  art — 
the  apt  choice  of  decorative  subject  and  the 
complete  mastery  exercised  in  fittingly  decorating 
the  object. 

Apart  from  the  technical  excellence  of  selection 
of  idea  and  symmetrical  incorporation  with  the 
form  under  decoration,  there  is  the  national  spirit, 


DECORATIVE  MEMORIAL   PLACQUE. 

By  Arnold  Krog. 

Commemorating  the  restoration  of  Ribe  Cathedral,  Denmark. 


243 


»••..'.  ••••   •  •. 


•  -•  -     • 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        245 

which  is  the  soul  imparted  to  the  work  of  artists 
filled  with  intense  love  of  nature.  This  charm, 
lightly  and  daintily  woven  into  the  dreams 
which  the  porcelain  conveys  in  dim  mysterious 
manner,  cannot  be  captured  by  the  snare  of  the 
imitator. 

The  Western  potter  hitherto  had  not  quite 
realized  that  he  must  be  a  poet  as  well  as  a  potter. 
To  study  Copenhagen  porcelain  is  to  read  poetry 
conveyed  in  another  medium  than  printing-ink 
and  paper.  Nor  is  this  new  of  the  highest  ceramic 
art.  To  contemplate  old  Chinese  porcelain  is 
not  to  think  in  poetry  but  to  speak  in  poetry. 
Great  potters  have  twin  souls  the  world  over. 
The  Chinese  themselves  have  terms  for  their  own 
ware  which  indicate  the  plane  on  which  all  great 
ceramic  art  should  stand.  To  one  colour  is  given 
the  term  "  the  moonlight,'*  to  another  "  the  blue 
of  the  prune  skin/'  to  another  "  the  violet  of  the 
wild  apple,"  to  another  "  the  liquid  dawn,"  to 
yet  another  **  the  red  of  the  bean  blossom." 
Descriptions  of  certain  ware  and  certain  colours 
and  glazes  become  little  poems,  such  as  the  account 
of  the  Ch'ai  Yao — "  As  blue  as  the  sky,  as  clear 
as  a  mirror,  as  thin  as  paper,  and  as  resonant  as 
a  musical  stone  of  jade."  Nor  is  Chinese  liter- 
ature wanting  in  reiterated  allusions  to  the  beauty 
of  the  national  porcelain.  The  wine  cups  are 
likened  to  "  disks  of  thinnest  ice  "  or  to  "  tilted 
lotus  leaves  floating  down   a  stream." 

The  strain  of  poetry,  so  pronouncedly  a  feature 


2J^6    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

in  modern  Copenhagen  work,  is  noticeable  even 
in  the  old  overglaze  decorated  porcelain.  The 
innate  love  of  nature  found  expression  in  its 
refusal  to  follow  stereotyped  forms  of  ceramic 
decoration.  The  national  note  never  departed 
except  during  the  decadence.  The  Flora  D  ante  a 
service,  with  its  stiff  and  painstaking  decorations 
in  botanical  style,  was  a  monument  to  national 
ceramic  art.  The  modern  spirit,  with  its  land- 
scape and  realism,  is  crystallized  in  a  great  gallery 
of  placques  and  vases,  and  may  be  said  to  embody 
the  Poetica  Danica — the  new  interpretation  of 
nature.  The  flowers  are  no  longer  botanical 
specimens  pressed  between  the  pages  of  a  ceramic 
album.  They  are  painted  in  situ,  and  become 
delicate  units  in  dream  pictures,  beside  still  lakes 
or  embosomed  in  grassy  dells. 

Intense  National  Sentiment  of  Copenhagen  Style. 
— The  Renaissance  period  is  at  once  national  and 
reflective  of  the  moods  of  the  land  of  its  origin. 
The  illustrations  appearing  in  this  chapter  faintly 
suggest  the  luminosity  of  the  originals,  but  in 
their  selection  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  show 
that  a  certain  ordered  progress  has  been  at  work. 
The  earlier  examples  are  significant  of  the  linger- 
ing traces  of  Oriental  suggestion,  rapidly  and 
completely  assimilated,  and  any  mannerism,  if 
such  there  be,  was  pushed  aside  by  the  native 
growth  of  vigorous  inventiveness  and  the  rich 
profusion  of  forms  and  designs  not  dependent  on 
any  outside  influence. 


THE   MODERN  RENAISSANCE        247 

To  compare  Japanese  art  with  that  of  Copen- 
hagen is  to  compare  two  parallel  lines  which  only 
meet  in  infinity  and  never  coincide.  Truth  and 
sincerity,  love  of  nature,  and  mastery  of  form 
are  common  to  the  Japanese  and  the  Danish 
ceramists.  But  the  former  reflect  the  brilHance 
of  colour  harmonies  of  a  land  teeming  with .  rich 
colour  and  steeped  in  Oriental  tradition.  The 
mirror  is  held  to  national  life  and  sentiment, 
and  accordingly  movement,  humour,  poetry,  are 
essentials  in  Japanese  pottery. 

The  art  of  Copenhagen  equally  reflects  the 
national  life  and  character  under  a  northern  sky. 
Pensive,  dreamy,  tinged  with  the  stillness  of 
the  Arctic  night,  with  its  violet  sky,  the  wistful 
art  of  the  North  never  attempts  the  sensuous 
moments  of  the  art  of  the  Far  East.  The  beauty 
of  form  is  reticent  and  reposeful.  The  range  of 
the  grand-feu  colours  coincides  exactly  with  the 
tender  colours  of  the  little  kingdom,  and  the 
melting  glaze  adds  that  luminosity  which  makes 
the  Danish  landscape  so  spirituelle. 

Danish  art  has  never  attempted  to  be  Japa- 
nese ;  on  the  other  hand,  Japan  has  seriously 
realized  that  the  art  of  Copenhagen  is  worth 
the  copying,  and  has  done  this  with  a  light 
heart. 

Again  and  again  one  is  struck  with  the  origin- 
ality of  a  design  new  to  ceramic  decoration.  The 
Placque,  of  the  period  1896  to  1900  (illustrated, 
p.  207),  is  a  case  in  point,  and  is  almost  the  only 


248    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

instance  of  a  dallying  with  the  romantically 
artificial.  But  the  effect  is  so  charming  and  so 
poetical  that  it  disarms  criticism.  What  could 
promise  so  Httle  as  a  subject  for  decorative  treat- 
rnent  ?  A  pair  of  iron  gates,  flanked  with  stone 
pillars  surmounted  by  formal  urns.  An  avenue 
of  poplars  approached  by  the  ascending  steps  of 
a  terrace,  stretching  from  the  foreground  in  two 
converging  lines,  with  the  solitary  figure  of  a 
woman  in  black  in  the  middle  distance.  That 
is  all.  But  the  result  is  an  alluring  picture  of  an 
old-world  chateau.  A  touch  of  Southern  elegance 
and  courtly  grace  makes  itself  evident  in  the 
formal  scene,  with  its  pathos  of  the  figure  sym- 
bolizing lonely  sorrow  and  the  dark  shadow  of 
the  chapel  at  the  end  of  the  grove. 

It  is  possible,  without  eliminating  much,  to 
trace  the  steady  growth  of  temperamental  art 
during  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  successive  stages 
of  five  years.  True  to  first  impelling  motives, 
the  art  of  the  factory  has  never  turned  back. 
The  modern  movement  known  as  Vart  nouveau, 
which  swept  Across  Europe  with  its  meaningless 
swirls  and  curves,  left  no  trace  on  the  work'  of  the 
Royal  Copenhagen  Factory.  Rich  in  the  possession 
and  eager  in  the  fulfilment  of  its  own  original 
conceptions,  it  had  po  need  of  extraneous  im- 
pulses, and  has  remained  unstirred  by  ephemeral 
art  movements.  The  illustrations  in  this  chapter 
are  arranged  chronologically  as  far  as  possible, 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  subjects  become  as 


DESSERT  PLATE. 


With  perforated  border  and  rim   decorated  with  scale  design  in  blue,  and  having 
national  Danish  pattern  in  centre. 


249 


»•  •  ••'•   -•• 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        251 

Danish  as  the  ballad  of  King  Christian.  The 
gallery  is  rich  in  its  dreamy  suggestiveness,  the 
ceramic  record  of  reposeful  scenes  luxuriating  in 
luscious  somnolence — the  sea,  the  sand-dunes, 
the  wild  swans,  and  geese,  and  mallards,  the  wood 
with  its  deer  and  wild  life,  the  secluded  lake  with 
its  denizens,  the  meadows,  and  the  cattle  of  the 
farm  lands. 

There  has  been  a  process  of  fermentation  going 
on  in  modern  Danish  pictorial  art,  and  its  in- 
fluence is  seen  on  the  porcelain  produced  at  the 
royal  faclfery.  It  is  new  because  it  is  ever- 
lastingly old — the  worship  of  Nature.  There  is 
in  modern  Copenhagen  porcelain  the  tender, 
dreamy  melancholy  of  the  old  Danish  ballads. 
It  is  like  some  magic  story  told  in  the  twilight. 
Everything  is  silent,  nebulous,  steeped  in  fragrant 
yet  pathetic  memories.  There  is  a  subtle  and 
refined  introspection,  an  aesthetic  yearning  akin 
to  sadness. 

Every  Dane  remembers  Jacobsen's  whimsical 
visionary  Mogens,  who  hums  softly  to  himself 
the  refrain — "  /  Langsel,  I  Langsel  jeg  lever  !  " 
(Longing,  longing  I  live  !). 

This  tristful  ideality  is  a  note  in  literature  not 
far  to  seek.  The  Danish  poets  have  reflected 
Nature's  moods  with  throbbing  ecstasy,  tinged 
with  sombre  forebodings.  It  comes  with  un- 
expected pathos  as  an  ending  to  Christian 
Winther's  poem  En  Vandrer  (A  Wanderer),  who, 
after   a   pilgrimage   through   woodland   glades   of 


252    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

summerland,  exclaims  at  the  sight  of  the  cloud- 
capped  mountains  in  the  distance — 

Og — naar  de  er  bestegne 
Imorgen—ak  ! — hvad  saa  ? 

(And  when  they  are  climbed,  to-morrow,  alas !   what  then  ?) 


The  outlook  of  the  Copenhagen  potter-artists 
reflects  the  genius  of  inspired  vision.  The  face 
of  Nature  is  transfigured.  This  interpretation 
links  poesy  and  pensive  art  indissolubly  together 
in  these  ceramic  poems  palpitating  with  sensi- 
tiveness. 

A  touch  of  tender  melancholy  pervades  the 
art  of  the  potter.  He  has  caught  the  pale  green 
of  the  sea,  the  vibrating  light  on  the  long  sand 
dunes  and  the  silvery  vaporous  clouds  that  fret 
the  horizon.  To  take  a  Copenhagen  vase  with 
its  sea-scape  and  dancing  spray  and  pack  of 
scudding  storm-clouds,  tempts  one  to  place  it 
to  one's  ear  as  children  do  sea-shells  ;  surely  one 
shall  hear  the  sound  of  the  leaping  surge  and  the 
roll  of  the  breakers  ! 

Bathed  in  liquid  light,  that  soft  effulgence 
pecuhar  to  Denmark,  where  the  sunlight  is  so  soft 
and  subdued  and  nothing  stands  out  in  harsh 
contrast,  the  scenery  lends  itself  to  soothing 
reverie.  It  has  been  given  to  few  to  commune 
with  Nature  in  her  melting  moods,  "  like  Niobe 
all  tears."  Corot  stands  for  all  time  as  having 
pierced  the  veil,  and  Cazin  has  caught  the  quiver- 


,  THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        253 

ing  play  of  ghostly  light  rarely  made  known  to 
mortals.  The  modern  Copenhagen  potters  have, 
"  daring  greatly,"  communed  with  Nature  in  like 
manner.  They  have  essayed  to  '*  snatch  a  grace 
beyond  the  reach  of  art  *' — or  of  ceramic  art. 
But  success  is  theirs.  The  transparent  atmo- 
sphere lending  a  pearly  tone  to  the  trembling 
stretches  of  soft  verdure  and  the  cool  limpid 
shadows  resting  on  the  still  meres  are  reflected 
in  the  porcelain.  The  pictures  are  soothing  and 
restful ;  we  can  hear  the  flutter  of  the  mallards 
among  the  reeds. 

Of  the  pay  sage  intime  there  is  profusion  of  wealth 
in  the  long  vista  of  the  low-lying  seashore  of  a 
beautiful  land,  the  wheeling  gulls,  the  stretch  of 
dunes,  and  the  circling  procession  of  clouds  over 
a  wind-swept  sea.  The  poetry  and  dreamy 
searchings  of  Copenhagen  porcelain  have  held 
the  mirror  to  Nature.  With  outer  eye  illumined 
with  spiritual  vision,  the  potters  have  translated 
the  soul  of  Nature's  physical  beauty  into  porcelain. 
Here  is  the  natural — but  there  is  the  vast,  un- 
fathomed  supernatural.  Can  it  be  possible  that 
there  are  yet  other  secrets  of  the  magic  of  the 
Northlands  ?  Will  *  the  inner  vision  bring  forth 
into  the  furnace  the  dreams  of  the  old  world  deep 
in  the  Northern  heart,  buried  these  long  centuries  ? 
Can  the  potter  poet  call  up  the  fleets  of  ghostly 
ships  that  set  forth  from  Trondhjem  Fjord  with 
King  Olaf  and  Olgaf ar  the  mystic  boat  with  neither 
sail  nor  helm  nor  galley  oar  ?     All  the  wealth  of 


254    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

dead  ages  lies  as  a  hidden  treasure-house  for  him 
who  can  with  wizardry  open  thes&  portals  and 
bring  back  the  Northern  poesie.  The  Valrafy, 
or  Raven  of  Battle,  loved  the  swell  and  the  roar 
of  the  fierce  Northern  Main.  The  ocean  sprite 
frequented  the  cold  waters  of  the  Baltic  and 
flashed,  icy  bearded,  through  the  rack  and  cloud 
of  storm.  Mermen  and  mermaidens  still  plash 
in  the  sea-caves  where  mortals  venture  not,  and 
to  this  day  in  story  and  tradition  they  are 
treasured  in  the  hearts  of  fisher-folk  and  those  who 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships. 

But  these  are  vain  imaginings,  and  to  ask  more 
of  an  art  already  raised  to  a  plane  of  evasive 
and  incommunicable  inventiveness  is  to  clamour 
impertinently  for  the  impossible. 


J 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        255 


TABLE  OF  MARKS  ^ 

Used  by  the  leading  Painters  and  Modellers  daring  the 
Renaissance  Period  from  1885. 

All  these  initials  or  signatures  of  painters  are 
used  in  conjunction  with  the  factory  mark  of 
the  three  blue  lines. 

Various  -signatures  of  Arnold  Krog,  Art 
Director  of  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain 
Factory  since  1885  to  the  present  time. 


J^o)jS<fU)^) 


'  These  marks  are  published  by  the  coprtesy  of  the  Royal  Copenhagen 
Porcelain  Factory,  being  supplied  from  official  data,  and  are  strictly 
copyright. 

12 


256    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

Examples  of  the  diverse  character  of  the  work 
of  Professor  Krog  permeate  the  Renaissance 
period,  and  include — 

Blue  fluted  service  (continuous  invention  of 
new  forms  with  elaborate  decoration) — 
e.g.  Dessert  Plate  (illustrated,  p.  249). 
Vases  with  landscapes  and  bird  subjects. 
Placques — 

Birds,  e.g.  illustration,  p.  203. 
-  Series  of  heraldic  placques,  e.g.  illustration; 

P-  243. 
Figure  Subjects- 
Various,   including   quadrupeds   and   birds, 
e.g.  Polar  bear,  Peacock  on  an  urn,  etc. 

Initials  of  C.  F.  Liisberg. 

Sometimes  the  name  is  signed  in  full. 
Painter  of  landscapes,  quadrupeds,  birds,  and 

flowers. 
Modeller  of  animal  subjects. 
Came  to  factory  in  1885,  died  in  1909. 


^ 


For  examples  of  the  beauty  of  the  late  Hr. 
Liisberg's  work,  see  illustrations  : — 
Vase  (p,  239). 
Placques  (pp.  211,  221,  231) 


THE   MODERN   RENAISSANCE        257 

C.     MoRTENSEN.     Painter     of     landscape     and 
animal  subjects. 
jModeller  of  animals. 
1887-1901. 


Ca\^ 


Oluf  Jensen.     Painter  of  flower  subjects. 
1885  to  present  time. 


^ 


Aug  Hallin.     Painter. 
1885-1895. 


^^>. 


GoTERED    Rode.     Painter    of    landscapes    and 
animals 
1895  to  present  time. 


See  illustration,  p.  217. 


258    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

ViLH  Th.  Fischer.    Painter  of  animal  subjects. 
1894  to  present  time. 


V^m.TnTuic^- 


For   illustrations   of   Hr.   Fischer's  work,  see 
pp.  211,  217,  239. 

Stephan  Ussing.     Painter  of  flowers  and  land- 
scapes. 
1894  to  present  time. 


St.dSSINCS 


Frk.   A.   Smidth.     Painter   of   landscapes   and 
flowers. 
1885  to  present  time. 


fi^0tu6t\f 


For    example    of    Frk.    Smidth's    work,  see 
illustration,  p.  227. 

Frk,  M.  H0ST. .  Painter  of  animals  and  flowers. 


I 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        259 

Frk.      Bertha  ,    Nathanielsen.     Painter     of 
flowers  and  landscapes. 

BE:ftrrt/\  |<ATH^NlCLSt^• 

Frk.  Jenny  Meyer.     Painter  of  flower  subjects. 


e^ 


Frk.  C.  Zernichow.     Painter  of  children. 

C.ZCRNICHOV^ 

Gerhard    Heilmann.    Painter    of    landscapes 
and  animals. 


<* 


The  following  mark  is  found  on  examples  of 
crystalline  glazes  of  the  Renaissance  period  : — 


*e 


This  is  the  signature  of  Hr.  V.  Engelhardt, 
the  chemist    at  the  royal  factory,  whose 


260    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

researches  have  perfected  the  glazes  and 
won  considerable*  distinction  for  the  fac- 
tory in  European  ceramics. 

1892  to  present  time. 

For  examples  of  Hr.  Engelhardt's  work, 
see  illustrations,  pp.  293,  297,  299,  303. 

The  following  marks  are  incised  and  are  of 
modellers,  and  are  used  in  conjunction  with  the 
factory  mark  of  the  three  blue  lines. 

Axel  Locher.    Modeller  of  figures. 


AXtl  XOCKER 


E.  Nielsen.     Modeller  of  animals. 


C 


Christian  Thomsen.     Modeller  of  figures  and 
animals. 
For  examples,  see  illustrations,  pp.  271,  275, 
279,  285. 


T^ 


Theodor  Madsen.     Modeller  of  animals. 


Jh 


THE  MODERN  RENAISSANCE        2G1 

Knud  Kyhn.     Modeller  of  animals. 


IxttadKjjift 


Frk.   a.   Pedersen.     Modeller  of  animals. 


^ 


Frk.  M.  Nielsen.     Modeller  of  birds  and  fishes. 
1903   to  present   time. 


■^jf 


Carl  Martin  Hansen.     Modeller  of  figures. 
1905  to  present  day. 


CMK 


Gerhard  Henning.     ^Modeller  and  painter  of 
figures. 
1909  to  present  time. 


262    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

This  mark  of  the  factory,  with  the  crown  and 
words  "  Royal  Copenhagen  "  inscribed  in  circle, 
are  in  green.     The  three  lines  beneath  are  in  blue. 


The  use  of  this  mark  is  from  the  year  1889^  on 
many  examples  for  the  English  and  American 
markets.  / 

These  marks  of  the  crown  and  the  three  lines, 
in  blue,  are  used  on  all  copies  of  the  old  models  of 
the  overglaze  Miiller  period.     These  are  found  on 


reproductions  of  old  and  rare  examples  of  the 
early  days,  made  by  the  factory  on  traditional 
lines.  The  revival  of  this  overglaze  painting  is  a 
new  impulse.  The  artist's  initials  are  added  to 
the  crown  in  colour  or  gold. 


CHAPTER  IX  . 

FIGURE  SUBJECTS 
AND  GROUPS 

RENAISSANCE  PERIOD 


I 


CHAPTER  IX 
FIGURE   SUBJECTS   AND  GROUPS 

RENAISSANCE  PERIOD 

Form  versus  colour — The  technique  of  modelling — The 
sound  principles  of  old  Copenhagen  porcelain — 
Underglaze  succeeds  overglaze  colouring — The  love 
of  animal  life — Peasant  types  and  children. 

The  highest  test  to  apply  to  a  figure  subject  in 
porcelain  is  that  it  should  be  criticized  in  the 
biscuit  stage.  The  crudities,  the  disproportioned 
ornament;  or  the  restless  lack  of  cohesion  become 
at  once  evident,  without  the  touches  of  colour 
added  to  conceal  the  poverty  of  the  art. 

In  our  old  factories  at  Plymouth  and  Bristol 
in  the  hard  paste  and  at  Bow  in  the  soft  paste, 
owing  to  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  technique, 
fire-cracks  often  appeared  in  the  body  of  objects 
intended  for  ornament.  Collectors  of  experience 
and  mature  judgment  know  exactly  what  the 
potters  did  in  these  trying  circumstances.  The 
scientific  examination  of  the  treasures  of  the 
china  cabinet  has  revealed  many  of  the  potter's 
tricks.      A    fire-crack    becomes    the    body    of    a 


266    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

butterfly  gaudily  painted  in  rich  colours.  This 
is  one  instance  of  the  use  of  colour  to  conceal 
the  inexactitude  of  the  craftsman.  Similarly,  in 
figures  it  becomes  a  speculative  question  as  to 
what  their  character  would  turn  out  to  be  when 
they  were  stripped  of  the  gorgeous  costumes  with 
which  they  are  decked.  Many  a  Chelsea  figure 
with  rich  brocaded  surtout,  yellow  vest,  and 
breeches  of  amazing  colour  in  scale  pattern  of 
peacock  hues,  would  turn  out  to  be  a  veritable 
scarecrow  if  stripped  of  the  glories  of  pigment. 
'Ae  colour  has  deceived  the  eye  in  regard  to 
form.  # 

This  love  of  colour  and  disregard  of  the  niceties 
of  form  has  betrayed  many  enthusiasts  into  going 
into  raptures  over  monstrosities  which  would  not 
bear  the  light  of  day  upon  them  if  they  were  in 
biscuit  state.  It  is  a  matter  for  conjecture  how 
many  Staffordshire  figures  or  Toby  Jugs,  minus 
pigment,  would  call  for  a  word  of  praise  judged 
solely  on  their  modelling  and  symmetrical  beauty. 

In  Copenhagen,  from  the  early  overglaze  painted 
figures  of  the  Miiller  period  to  the  underglaze 
decorated  figures  of  the  Renaissance  style,  there 
is  one  quality  that  they  have  in  common.  This 
is  especially  noticeable  in  comparing  them  with 
work  of  other  factories  over  an  extended  period 
of  time.  They  exhibit  with  unerring  precision 
the  limitations  of  the  potter  in  regard  to  the 
medium  in  which  he  works.  At  no  time  has 
the  Copenhagen  modeller  attempted,  save  in  the 


I 


FIGURE;,  SUBJECTS  AND    GROUPS    267 

decadent  period  when  he  copied  Thorvaldsen*s 
sculpture,  to  encroach  upon  the  work  of  the 
silversmith  or  the  glass-blower.  He  has  been 
true  to  the  clay  whose  properties  in  the  fire  he 
knows  so  well.  The  technique  of  modelling  in 
clay  follows  laws  as  definite  as  can  well  be  laid 
down.  It  is  the  same  in  all  crafts  where  strict 
observance  is  paid  to  the  use  for  which  objects 
are  created.  The  Japanese  ivory-carver  in  his 
netstikes,  or  ivory  fastenings  for  garments,  carves 
them  as  nearly  oval  or  round  as  is  possible.  It 
may  be  a  curled-up  mouse,  or  an  old  man  with 
a  barrel,  or  any  other  fanciful  subject,  but  the 
absence  of  spikes  is  the  sign  that  the  work  is  old 
and  not  modern  carving  for  the  European  markets, 
when  such  objects  bristle  with  points. 

Similarly,  in  figures,  for  many  reasons  they  should 
have  no  jutting  arms  or  over  out- thrust  ornaments. 
First  because  in  use  they  will  be  broken  off.  A 
glance  at  the  damaged  specimens  on  the  china 
shelf  will  at  once  show  the  mistakes  of  the  potter. 
Rarely  at  the  Copenhagen  factory  did  the  modeller 
fancy  for  the  moment  he  was  a  silver-worker  and 
leave  a  projecting  arm.  There  is  one  instance 
in  an  old  figure  most  noticeable.  A  seller  of 
kringler  has  an  outstretched  hand  offering  his 
ware  for  sale,  but  that  is  missing  in  the  example 
the  writer  examined. 

Another  reason  for  the  avoidance  of  undue 
extension  is  the  technical  difficulty  of  supporting 
this  in  the  oven  during  firing.      Clay  in  the  oven 


268    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

requires  every  assistance  to  keep  it  from  warping 
or  bending  over,  and  to  introduce  unnecessary 
difficulties  in  modelling  is  to  produce  bad  art. 
This,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  porcelain  shrinks 
in  firing  to  about  six-sevenths  of  its  original  size, 
is  sufficient  reason  for  the  artistic  potter  to  keep 
strictly  within  the  limitations  of  his  technique. 

The  Sound  Principles  of  Old  Copenhagen  Force" 
lain. — Throughout  the  Miiller  period  it  will  be 
seen  how  carefully  these  axioms  were  followed. 
In  regard  to  the  styles  of  decoration,  the  old  school 
worked  in  overglaze  painting  and  the  Renaissance 
school  employs  underglaze  painting.  They  are 
in  complete  contrast  to  one  another  in  the  treat- 
ment of  a  subject.  -  The  narrow  range  of  under- 
glaze colours  in  a  measure  limits  the  results  of 
the  decorator  of  figures.  But  it  must  not  be 
imagined  that  the  overglaze  school  of  painting, 
by  reason  of  its  freer  palette,  allowed  the  modelHng 
of  the  figures  to  be  less  than  ideal.  A  reference 
to  the  Miiller  chapter  on  Figure  Subjects  will 
show  that  a  great  many  examples  were  produced 
in  white  or  in  biscuit,  and  were  thus  entirely 
independent  of  colour  to  help  out  any  deficiencies 
in  modelling,  if  such  existed. 

An  indication  of  the  strong  individuality  of 
the  figure  modelling  of  the  Juhane  Marie  period, 
is  forthcoming  in  the  fact  that  the  factory 
to-day  is  producing  some  of  the  coloured  figures 
of  that  period  in  white. 

Underglaze    succeeds    Overglaze  Colouring. — Con- 


FIGURE   SUBJECTS   AND   GROUPS    269 

cerning  the  Renaissance  figures  as  a  whole, 
there  is  a  tendency  to  produce  them  in  white  ; 
this  bespeaks  great  strength  of  modeUing,  and, 
varied  as  they  are  in  character,  dealing  with 
different  phases  of  life,  they  are  never  insipid. 
But  it  may  be  advanced  that  the  underglaze 
colours  are  not  extended  enough  in  their  range 
to  do  justice  to  some  of  the  costume  subjects. 
It  seems  to  the  present  writer,  and  perhaps  the 
criticism  is  confirmed  by  a  pronounced  tendency 
in  that  direction  by  the  latest  artistic  movement 
in  the  factory,  that  many  of  the  modern  figures, 
such  as  peasant  women  in  costume  and  the  soldier 
in  Hans  Andersen's  story  of  the  Tinder  Box,  would 
give  more  complete  results  in  overglaze  painting. 
This  revival  of  overglaze  painting  in  Copenhagen 
in  figures,  and  in  combination  with  underglaze 
work,  is  a  new  development  which  is  being  curi- 
ously watched  by  connoisseurs  and  technical 
experts. 

The  underglaze  colours  find  complete  harmony 
in  the  decoration  of  figures  of  birds,  and  are 
delicate  and  true  to  nature  in  the  modelled  fish, 
which  have  a  graceful  charm  especially  their  own. 
They  are  a  perfect  medium  for  placques  and  vases, 
depicting  the  long  vaporous  clouds  stretched 
across  a  leaden  sky,  the  silvery  blue  transparent  ^ 
billows  tossing  in  from  the  Baltic,  or  in  the  fore- 
ground streaming  wearily  over  the  level  grey- 
yellow  sand,  flecked  with  the  lilac  seashore  flowers 
and  tufts  of  grass  on  the  sand-dunes.      The  pale 


270    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


sad  blues,  the  delicate  greens,  the  amber,  and 
pink,  and  dun-grey  tones  verging  into  violet 
which  are  transmuted  in  the  grand  feu  convey 
the  faint  colours,  the  mist  and  the  sadness,  the 
storm  and  the  rainy  air,  the  dim  haze  extending 
over  meadow  and  lake,  and  the  tremulously 
yellow  tones  of  sunset.  The  landscape  is  tinged 
with  that  soft  melancholy  which  tones  down  all 
harshness  and  softens  all  lines.  Meditative, 
somnolent,  indecisive,  liquid,  limpid,  and  alluring 
in  tender  serenity,  .these  characteristics  appeal  to 
the  soul  of  the  artist  as  belonging  to  the  dream 
country  of  lakes  and  beech-woods  and  sand-hills 
and  kaleidoscopic  waters.  These  intangible  and 
wraith-like  impressions  have  been  momentarily 
snatched  by  the  potters  and  painters  at  the 
factory,  nor  has  anything  been  dropped  in  the 
fiery  ordeal  of  the  furnace,  and  they  stand  in 
ceramic  art  as  a  permanent  national  record  of 
the  homeland  of  the  Dane. 

The  Love  of  Animal  Life. — There  is  one  point 
at  which  the  modern  figure  subjects  break  new 
ground.  The  Renaissance  period  is  rich  in  its 
loye  of  the  animal  kingdom.  The  wheeling 
gulls,>  the  wild  swans,  and  geese,  and  mallards, 
wading  and  diving  birds,  and  storks,  and  owls 
have  been  modelled.  The  wild  life  of  Denmark 
has  provided  a  new  field.  This  is  studied  from 
nature.  There  is  a  figure  of  a  turkey,  a  denizen 
of  the  factory  grounds,  modelled  from  Ufe.  What 
other  factory   in   the   world  is   there   where   one 


FIGURE   OF   WOMAN   AND   COW. 
Painted  in  iindcrglaze  colours.     Modelled  by  Clir.  Thomsen. 


271 


I 


FIGURE    SUBJECTS  AND  GROUPS    273 

may  meet,  as  did  the  'writer,  a  turkey  with  her 
brood  being  ushered  from  the  garden  up  a  stair- 
case into  a  pen  in  ane  of  the  studios  ?  The 
original  with  her  brood  may  be  seen  illustrated, 

p.  337. 

Animals  and  fkh  have  obtained  full  recognition 
in  the  gallery  of  figure  subjects.  The  Zoological 
Gardens  in  close  proximity  to  the  factory  has 
provided  the  Polar  bear  and  other  studies.  A 
notable  example  of  fine  modelling  is  a  Sea  Lion, 
which  is  life-like  in  its  faithful  representation. 
The  modelled  fish,  with  the  liquid  glaze  suggestive 
that  they  have  just  been  captured,  are  a  remark- 
able feature  and  are  true  in  every  detail — as  true 
as  were  the  botanical  specimens  on  the  Flora 
Danica  service.  They  come  as  decorative  objects 
as  surprisingly  beautiful  in  form  as  are  the  birds, 
and  their  variety  captivates  the  lover  of  natural 
form  and  subdued  colour. 

Peasant  Types  and  Children. — The  peasant 
life  of  the  country,  the  costume,  now  fast  dis- 
appearing, and  the  old-world  character,  still 
happily  preserved  in  many  districts,  were  repro- 
duced in  the  overglaze  figures  of  an  earlier  period. 
This  love  of  veracity  in  costume  and  environment 
is  a  feature  which  is  traditional  in  the  factory  ; 
it  therefore  comes  as  no  surprise  to  find  that 
peasant  types  are  produced  with  underglaze 
treatment  in  colours.  The  only  example  of  an 
animal  in  the  overglaze  Miiller  period  is  the 
Woman  milking  a  Cow,  and  a  similar  subject  of 

13 


274    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

a  Milkmaid  and  Cow  may  be  seen  treated  in 
modern  manner  in  underglaze  style,  with  delicate 
suggestion  of  colour  in  the  pale  grey  dress,  delicate 
blue  shawl,  and  kerchief  with  infinitesimal  spots. 
The  cow  is  white  save  for  one  or  two  splashes  of 
light  brown. 

If  Cupids  be  child-life,  then  the  old  style  offers 
scores  of  examples,  but  the  modern  child  has 
been  denuded  of  his  wings  and  is  employed  in 
other  occupations  than  twining  wreaths  of  roses 
around  lovers.  The  usual  children  of  the  china 
shelf  arc  armed  with  baskets  and  posies,  and  are 
Cupid-like  in  their  character.  But  in  the  Renais- 
sance figures  of  Copenhagen  children  the  spirit 
of  childhood  is  present.  The  simple  peasant 
Child  (illustrated,  p.  279),  with  burden  of  bottle 
and  basket,  is  as  true  to  life  as  the  faithful  record 
of  an  old  Dutch  master.  It  is,  possibly  without 
meaning  to  be,  symbolic  of  the  life  of  toil  of  the 
peasant.  It  is  a  tale  the  clay  tells  of  the  busy 
life  of  the  fields.  Even  a  tiny  child  has  to  bear 
her  share  of  the  long  day's  work.  It  is  just 
that  sad  touch  of  reflection  which  illuminates 
great  works  of  art,  and  it  is  here  present.  A 
figure  such  as  this  is  worth,  as  a  work  of  art,  fifty 
meaningless  Rockingham  Flower  Boys  or  Chelsea 
manikins  in  grotesque  costume. 

The  Old  Woman,  modelled  by  the  same  artist, 
with  bonnet  and  shawl  with  fringe,  represents  a 
type  now  belonging  to  days  rapidly  passing.  The 
character  of  an  obsolescent  type  has  been  caught 


\ 


FIGURE  OF   BOY  AND  CALF. 

Painted  in  underglaze  colours.     Modelled  by  Chr.  Tliomsen. 


275 


•    •  •  •#•  • "  • 


FIGURE  SUBJECTS  AND   GROUPS    277 

with  exceptional  cleverness.  There  is  another 
hgure  of  an  old  woman  less  robust,  and  indicating 
less  lovable  qualities,  with  Bible  in  hand,  and,  if 
the  truth  be  told,  a  somewhat  crafty  look.  Such 
types  as  these  will  be  recognized  by  those  who 
know  Denmark  well ;  they  arc  racy  of  the  soil, 
and  represent  the  acute  perception  of  the  modern 
potters  in  seizing  disappearing  types.  Such 
crystallized  character  forms  a  permanent  and 
very  valuable  record  of  the  remoter  side  of  country 
life,  and  is  instinct  with  a  truer  feeling  of  art 
than  whole  galleries  representing  impossible  por- 
celain cavaliers  and  ladies  in  costume  the  like 
of  which  no  man  has  ever  seen. 

In  deahng  with  the  underglaze  ware  from  \ts 
first  application  to  utilitarian  services  to  its 
subtle  use  in  placques  and  vases  with  grand-feu 
colours,  and  finally  in  figure  subjects  and  groups, 
it  will  be  seen,  both  in  regard  to  mastery  of  tech- 
nique and  artistic  evolution,  the  natural  order 
of  development  is  that  given  in  Chapter  II  in 
examining  the  stages  of  overglaze  painting  and 
modelling.  At  that  period  the  order  proceeds 
on  lines  of  its  own,  and  the  usual  stages  of  pro- 
gression were  influenced  by  the  fact  that  in  the 
early  days  of  the  factory  Luplau,  the  first  modeUing- 
master,  brought  his  experience  to  bear  on  the 
work,  and  figure  subjects  of  a  high  order  were 
attempted  almost  from  the  beginning.  Here,  in 
the  Renaissance  period,  by  slower  evolution  and 
particularly    sure    processes,     the    modelling    of 


278    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

figures  has  arrived  at  a  state  of  undoubted  excel- 
lence. Apart  from  the  first  early  inspiration 
when  things  Japanese  broke  upon  Europe  with 
overwhelming  force,  the  Copenhagen  artists  have 
obtained  their  inspiration  from  within.  They 
have  followed  the  instincts  of  their  own  race,  and 
they  have  developed  on  lines  essentially  their 
own,  both  in  form,  in  colour,  and  in  technique. 

The  Europe  of  sixty  years  ago  was  sated  with 
meaningless  formalities.  Tired  with  the  repe- 
tition of  the  scanty  stock  of  Greek  ornaments, 
and  in  search  of  novelty,  it  is  only  natural  that 
men  should  turn  their  eyes  to  the  only  living 
schools  of  decorative  art  then  in  existence.  In 
India,  China,  and  Japan  was  found  the  freshness 
that  design  needed.  When  Miiller  was  producing 
his  masterpieces  in  clay,  Wedgwood  was  trans- 
planting Greek  gods  and  goddesses  into  Stafford- 
shire, and  Chippendale  was  fashioning  h^is  fretwork 
angles  to  tables  and  chairs,  \taken  direct  from 
China.  Between  those  days  and  the  present  is 
the  great  wave  of  classicism  which  dug  out  Etrus- 
can vases  and  remodelled  them,  brought  the  Latin 
chair  into  the  early  nineteenth-century  drawing- 
room,  and  with  stilted  affectation  of  simplicity 
drove  elegance  and  comfort  far  afield. 

Of  all  Oriental  schools  it  is  thus  natural  that  the 
Japanese,  with  the  unexpected  and  unsymmetrical 
treatment  of  design,  should  appeal  most  at  such 
a  time.  The  true  and  fine  feeling  of  the  Japanese 
for  birds  and  beasts,  for  the  flower  world  and  for 


I 


279 


FIGURE  SUBJECTS  AND   GROUPS    281 

landscape  in  its  larger  features,  is  shown  in  all 
their  design,  from  the  small  ivorj^  carvings  to  the 
lacquer  work  or  the  colour  prints  of  Katsuchika 
Hokusai.  The  West  has  learned  much  from  the 
East  in  the  nineteenth  century.  Whistler's 
Nocturnes  and  Aubrey  Beardsley's  pen  drawings 
catch  their  germ  of  novelty  from  sources  other 
than  European. 

But  "  East  is  East  and  West  is  West,"  and 
Copenhagen  underglaze  decoration  has  produced 
the  tones  of  the  Northern  world.  Of  all  curious 
happenings,  it  is  singular  to  record  that  to-day 
the  Japanese  ceramic  artists  are  fashioning  their 
work  in  the  same  subdued  tones,  and  producing 
similar  subjects  in  figures,  to  the  little  band  of 
ceramic  workers  in  Denmark.  In  the  history  of 
the  manufacture  of  porcelain  this  is  not  exactly 
a  new  thing.  In  England  we  have  Worcester 
copying  Chinese  examples  and  inventing  a  pseudo 
mark,  and  the  Bow  and  Lowestoft  factories 
copying  Worcester's  copy  of  Chinese  originals. 
Meissen  and  Sevres  have  both  suffered  heavily 
"from  votaries  who  have  loved  the  originals  so 
well  that  they  could  not  forbear  from  imitating 
them.  In  England,  at  Worcester  and  at  Coalport, 
the  copyists  excelled  in  their  love  for  the  Sevres 
and  Meissen  originals  by  putting  the  marks  of 
those  factories  on  their  productions. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  Denmark,  with  no 
coal  and  with  no  minerals,  and  with  no  quartz 
and  no  china  clay,  should  stand  to-day  as  the 


282    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

leading  porcelain  factory  in  Europe.  In  the 
admirable  article  on  Ceramics  in  the  new  edition 
of  the  Encyclopcedia  Britannic  a  (191 1)  this  verdict 
stands :  "  The  most  admirable  result  of  this 
revived  interest  in  Japanese  art  was,  however, 
developed  at  the  Royal  Copenhagen  works,  the 
productions  of  which  are  not  only  famous  all  over 
the  world,  but  have  set  a  new  style  in  porcelain 
decorations  which  is  being  followed  at  most  of 
the  Continental  factories."  In  connection  with 
figure  subjects  the  same  critic  recognizes  their 
precious  qualities.  "  The  Royal  Copenhagen 
works  have  also  produced  a  profusion  of  skilfully 
modelled  animals,  birds,  and  fishes,  either  in  pure 
white  or  tinted  after  nature  with  the  same 
underglaze  colours.  Other  European  factories 
have  adopted  the  modern  Copenhagen  style  of 
decoration." 

Something  should  be  said  in  passing  of  the 
domestic  influence  of  the  Royal  Copenhagen 
Factory  upon  the  art  of  Denmark.  Like  a  sturfty 
oak-tree,  the  old  factory  has  continued  in  its 
steady  growth  from  the  days  of  Queen  Juliane 
Marie.  It  has  weathered  many  storms,  and  now 
proudly  rears  its  head  as  a  beloved  landmark. 
Its  influence  on  generations  of  artists  has  been 
deep  and  lasting.  It  has  scattered  its  largesse, 
and  its  sheltering  branches  have  lent  their  pro- 
tecting shade  to  many  grateful  pilgrims.  In 
common  with  many  another  great  factory,  it  has 
added  new  impulses  to  the  centre  of  its  origin. 


1 


FIGURE   SUBJECTS   AND   GROUPS    283 

Like  the  acorn  dropping  from  the  parent  tree, 
productive  of  flourishing  young  oaks,  so  has  it 
been  with  the  royal  factory.  It  is  pleasurable 
to  be  able  to  record  here  the  successes  of  a  Copen- 
hagen porcelain  factory  conducted  by  Messrs. 
Bing  and  Grondahl.  Their  art  is  fresh  and 
winning,  their  painters  have  caught  the  touch  of 
the  royal  factory,  and  their  modellers  have  found 
inspiration  in  the  work  marked  with  the  three 
blue  lines.  The  Bing  and  Grondahl  ware  is 
marked  with  the  initials  B  &  G.  It  was  originated 
in  the  year  1853,  and  has  been  marked  with  a 
successful  career.  Many  of  its  productions  are 
to  be  found  in  museums  side  by  side  with  work 
of  the  royal  factory.  There  is  a  spirit  of 
friendly  rivalry  between  the  ancestor  and  the 
youthful  scion.  This  is  only  natural.  But  the 
old  oak  and  the  young  tree  will  still  continue  to 
flourish  side  by  side,  and  the  old  oak  will  always 
be  the  monarch  of  the  forest,  even  a  hundred 
years  hence,  when  painstaking  collectors  wrangle 
as  to  dates  and  marks  and  weigh  the  B  &  G  with 
the  three  blue  lines,  and  find,  as  undoubtedly 
they  will,  beauty  and  poetry  reminiscent  of  the 
Danish  art. 

Many  of  the  early  figure  subjects  of  the  Renais- 
sance period  were  of  surprising  originality,  and 
in  some  cases  only  one  example  was  made.  The 
collectors  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
these  examples  have  since  realized  how  happj'  was 
their  choice.      There  is  one  figure  of  a  Black  Cat, 


284    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

exhibited  at  the  Paris  Exhibition,  1900,  which 
has  never  been  repeated  in  black,  owing  to  the 
great  difficulty  experienced  in  manipulating  the 
glaze*  and  the  hazardous  nature  of  the  experiment. 
White  cats  have  been  modelled  in  similar  fashion, 
but  there  is  only  one  black  Copenhagen  cat,  and 
naturally  such  a  rare  piece  is  exceedingly  valuable. 

Among  some  of  the  later  productions  in  figures 
are  some  finely  modelled  subjects  taken  from 
Hans  Christian  Andersen's  Stories.  Who  does  not 
remember  the  Tinder,  Box,  that  tale  of  enchant- 
ment where  the  soldier,  coming  home  from  t"he 
wars,  marching  along  the  road  with  knapsack  on 
back,  meets  a  witch  who  induces  him  to  descend 
into  the  great  cavern  and  procure  the  magic  tinder 
box.  A  dainty  little  group  in  white  represents 
the  Soldier  and  the  Witch.  We  know  of  his  sudden 
rise  to  fortune,  armed  with  a  talisman  as  potent 
as  Aladdin's  Lamp.  The  sleeping  princess  im- 
prisoned in  a  copper  castle  is  brought  to  him  by 
the  faithful  canine  genii  of  the  tinder  box.  How 
he  narrowly  escaped  the  gallows  and  finally  took 
the  princess  as  his  bride  is  pne  of  our  own  nursery 
stories,  and  there  is  a  Copenhagen  figure  group 
showing  the  soldier  with  his  arm  around  the 
princess  in  soldierly  and  lover-like  fashion. 

The  story  of  the  Swineherd  provides  another 
subject,  and  what  grace  and  elegance  and  beauty 
are  in  the  lines,  and  delicacy  in  the  sentiment. 
It  is  an  idyll  in  porcelain.  Away  with  pierrots 
and  mimes,  the  fevered  extravagances  of  imagin- 


J 


GROUP   IX   WHITE   PORCELAIN. 

The  Princess  and  the  Swineherd. 

(From  Hans  Christian  Andersen's  Stories.) 

Modelled  by  Chr.  Thomsen. 


285 


•  T  ^  1^*  •   •  • ! !     :  /  •-      1 


FIGURE  SUBJECTS  AND  GROUPS    287 

ation  run  riot  in  bizarre  form  and  garish  colour  ! 
Such  a  group  as  this  should  have  a  niche  to  itself 
in  the  china  cabinet.  It  is  superlatively  chaste 
and  reticent,  daintily  conceived  and  faultless  in 
technique.  The  story  is  of  the  prince  who  became 
swineherd  to  the  father  of  the  weary  princess. 
His  taste  for  music  took  a  mechanical  turn  in  the 
whimsical  invention  of  a  pot  that  played  tunes 
when  it  boiled,  and,  among  other  like  toys,  a 
rattle  that  would  play  waltzes  and  polkas.  His 
hobby  gained  the  fancy  of  the  princess,  who  had 
to  buy  them  with  kisses.  The  porcelain  repre- 
sents the  completion  of  the  fairy-tale  bargain. 
Alas  !  there  is  no  happy  ending,  for  the  kissing 
became  so  fast  and  furious  that  the  swineherd 
threw  off  his  disguise,  became  prince  on  a  sudden, 
and  departed  home  to  his  kingdom,  in  disgust 
with  a  princess  who  could  look  with  disdain  on 
his  presents  of  a  rose  and  a  nightingale  because 
they  were  only  natural,  and  set  her  affections 
on  the  trivialities,  of  a  swineherd. 

Among  the  figures  calUng  for  regard  in  the 
highest  sense,  that  of  the  Peacock  standing  on  an 
urn,  modelled  by  Arnold  Krog,  is  of  surprising 
grace  and  symmetry.  Its.  modelling  is  at  once 
true  to  nature  and  true  to  the  requirements  of 
the  potter's  art.  A  model  on  a  lower  plane  would 
have  placed  the  peacock  on  a  base  or  tree-stump 
and  utilized  this  as  a  support,  and  no  figure  w^ould 
be  complete  without  the  gorgeous  colouring  of 
the    tail.      This   is    exactly   what    happens   in    a 


288    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

Derby  figure  of  a  Peacock  (at  the  Victoria  and 
Albert  Museum).  On  a  rococo  base  covered  with 
a  wealth  of  coloured  flowers,  a  peacock  stands  in 
briUiant  natural  colouring.  But  in  the  Copen- 
hagen figure  the  drooping  tail  is-  support  enough 
in  the  kiln,  and  the  natural  pose  of  the  bird,  proud 
and  erect,  conveys  dignity  and  beauty  of  form. 
The  treatment  at  Copenhagen  is  exactly  the 
opposite  to  the  old  school  of  ceramic  artists. 
Here  it  is  beauty  of  form  first  and  colour  in 
reticent  subjection  as  an  adjunct,  and  the  results 
are  undeniably  superlative. 


I 


CHAPTER  X 

CRYSTALLINE 
GLAZES 


% 


CHAPTER  X 

CRYSTALLINE  GLAZES 

Flamb6  or  transmutation  glazes  of  the  Chinese  potters — 
The  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory  produces  the  first 
specimen  of  crystallized  glaze  in  1886 — Blue  crackled 
glaze  produced  with  design  under  control. 

During  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  Western  potter  came  under  the  spell  of  the 
modern  chemist.  Scientific  study  applied  to 
the  body  and  glaze  and  vitrifaction  of  the  mate- 
rials composing  porcelain  and  faience,  together 
with  a  closer  study  of  the  exact  conditions  of 
temperatures  in  the  kilns,  resulted  in  the  discovery 
of  certain  well-defined  decorative  qualities  in 
connection  with  glazes  which,  after  considerable 
experiment,  offered  practically  a  new  field  for 
colour- work  of  a  very  beautiful  nature. 

In  the  fiambe  or  transmutation  glazes  for  which 
the  Chinese  potters  were  renowned,  the  effects 
of  variegated  or  splashed  colour  are  due  to  the 
capricious  action  of  the  fire  on  the  glazes  during 
the  firing  process.      The  single-coloured  glazes  of 

291 


292    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

the  Chinese  appUed  to  vases  and  other  objects 
have  been  much  prized  by  Europeans.  The 
tints  are  very  numerous,  sea-green  or  celadon, 
yellow,  red,  blue,  purple,  brown,  black,  and  other 
tones.  These  include  the  celebrated  sang-dc- 
bceuf  colour  of  French  collectors,  so  highly  prized 
in  China.  It  is  thought  probable  that  man}'  of 
these  single-colour  glazes  have  been  applied  at  a 
somewhat  lower  temperature,  termed  by  the 
French  demi-grand  feu. 

The  mottled  classes  owe  their  appearance  less 
to  the  difference  in  the  colouring  matter  than  to 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  applied.  They  are 
termed  in  French  flamhe,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  they  were  originally  accidentally  produced. 
According  to  the  letters  of  a  Jesuit  missionary. 
Fere  d'Entrecolles,  written  in  the  early  years  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  such  vases  were  called 
Yao  pien  or  transmutation  vases.  Such  types, 
with  turquoise  colour  passing  into  green,  green 
melting  into  purple,  and  amber  fading  into  grey, 
are  suggestive  of  the  permutation  of  colour  har- 
monies which  these  transmutation  glazes  undergo 
in  the  furnace. 

Beside  the  flamhe  glazes  there  are  crackled 
glazes  of  turquoise-blue,  apple-green,  or  of  greyish 
white.  This  crackle  porcelain  is  now  artificially 
produced,  but  it  doubtless  owes  its  origin  to 
accident  and  caprice  of  firing. 

In  flamhe  glazes  an  English  potter,  Mr.  Bernard 
Moore,  of    Longton,  has  succeeded  in  producing 


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CRYSTALLINE   GLAZES  295 

sang-dc-bxuf  colour  with  delightful  gradations 
of  tone  ;  unhappily;  some  of  these  pieces  were 
destroyed  by  fire  at  the  Brussels  Exhibition 
in  1910. 

Copenhagen  produces  the  First  Crystalline  Glaze. 
—At  the  Copenhagen  factory  grand-feu  coloured 
glazes  have  been  developed  in  a  ,  remarkable 
manner.  The  crystal  glaze,  the  serpent-skin, 
the  tiger-eye,  and  crackled  glaze,  as  well  as  many 
other  varieties,  show  effects  which  hitherto  have 
been  unknown  in  porcelain,  and  have  won  the 
admiration  of  all  connoisseurs.  The  inception  of 
the  crystalline  glaze  was  due  to  Hr.  Clement,  the 
chemist  at  the  Royal  Copenhagen  Factory,  and  it 
was  owing  to  the  indefatigable  energy  and  experi- 
ments of  Hr.  Clement  that,  in  1886,  the  first  piece 
of  porcelain  with  crystalline  glaze  achieved  a 
record  for  the  Copenhagen  laboratory  and  studio. 
Since  that  day  other  European  potters  have 
succeeded  in  producing  crystalline  glazed  ware 
of  exceptional  beauty. 

We  illustrate  a  fine  specimen  of  the  early  crys- 
talline glaze  of  Copenhagen  now  preserved  at  the 
Museum  of  the  National  Porcelain  Manufactory 
at  Sevres.  It  represents  a  frog  on  a  leaf.  "  We 
should  like  specially  to  point  out,"  says  M.  Edouard 
.Gamier,  the  Director  of  'the  Museum  at  Sevres, 
writing  in  1894,  *'  a  large  water-lily  leaf  on  which 
a  frog  is  imbedded  in  a  thin  layer  of  ice,  which 
it  has  just  succeeded  in  breaking.  We  have 
never  seen  a  more  striking  example  of  what  may 


296    ROYAL  COPENHA(?EN  PORCELAIN 


I 

f 
a 

1 


be  attained  by  a  purely  scientific  process  appliec 
to  art  decoration,  and  we  cannot  repress  the  wish] 
that  this  example  may  be  followed  by  our  modern 
ceramists."      This  is  one  of  Arnold   Krog's  fine, 
conceptions. 

This  specimen  of  the  work  of  the  Copenhagen! 
chemist,  Hr.  V.  Engelhardt,  in  crystallized  glaze,' 
has  been  followed  by  many  notable  achievements 
on  his  part.      In  1902  there  was  a  figure  of  a 
Polar  Bear  lapping  w^ter,   modelled   by   Arnoh 
Krog  and  produced  in  crystalline  glaze  by  Hr, 
Engelhardt.       This,  of    which   only  thirty  pieces] 
were  made,  was  executed  for  an  artistic  club  i] 
Paris.      Another  fine  subject  is  that  representing^ 
two  Polar    Bears  on  the  ice,  one  mounted  on  a_ 
frozen  pinnacle.      The  whole  is  a  skilful  piece  oj 
modelling   by   C.    E.    Bonnesen,    and   crystallint 
glazing  by  Hr.  V'.  Engelhardt. 

New  shapes  are  continually  being  invented; 
and  a  long  chain  of  experiments  in  the  laboratory 
has  resulted  in  the  production  of  some  ven 
remarkable  examples  of  colouring  which  are^^ 
always  welcome  to  collectors,  who  are  quick  to^| 
realize  that  no  two  examples  can  ever  be  tha 
same.  All  colours  can  be  handled  in  this  manner. 
The  range  is  a  wide  one,  and  the  surprising  grada- 
-tions  of  tone  have  a  charm  undoubtedly  their 
own,  and  not  unworthy  to  be  regarded  as  repre- 
sentative of  some  of  the  most  wonderful  creations 
of  the  modern  potter.  The  metallic  oxides  in 
the     hands     of     the    twentieth-century    chemist 


FROG  IMBEDDED   IN   ICE   ON   A   WATElf  L»LJ»'  HA^\,» 

Modelled  hj-  Arnold  Krog.    Crystalline  glazt^y  V.  Engelhardt. 

Period  1891-1895.  I  ..V,:    ::"• 


•  •-    •       at      1 


(At  Sevres  A/usgum.) 


297 


299 


I 


CRYSTALLINE  GLAZES  301 

become  possessed  of  magical  properties  and  are 
transformed  into  tender  harmonies  vibrating  with 
exquisite  tones.  Yellows,  and  blues,  and  browns 
merge  into  mauve*  or  grey,  in  delightful  tenderness, 
and  black  and  white  are  included  in  the  colour 
schemes  of  which  this  style  is  now  capable. 

Blue  Crackled  Glaze. — In  regard  to  crackled 
glazes  there  is  evidence  that  they  are  coming 
more  under  the  governance  of  the  chemist.  There 
is  a  beautiful  deep  blue  variety  produced  at 
Copenhagen,  with  a  network  of  crackle  graduated 
to  a  nicety,  now  swelhng,  when  on  the  belly  of 
,  the  beaker  or  vase,  and  now  contracting  into 
minute  meshes  when  on  the  slender  neck.  This 
is  completely  under  mechanical  control.  As  yet 
blue  is  the  .only  colour  produced  in  this  style. 

At  the  Brussels  Exhibition,  1910,  the  Sevres 
factory  exhibited  some  large  vases  with  crystalHne 
glaze  evidently  under  the  complete  mastery  of 
the  potter  and  chemist.  These  vases  were  of  a 
very  fine  character,  and  the  suggestion  arises 
that  at  no  far  distant  date  the  glazes  now  termed 
"  transmutation  "  or  adventitious  will  be  com- 
pletely mastered  by  the  latest  (ievelopments  of 
modern  science  as  appUed  to  pottery,  and  thus 
"  transmutation  "  will  be  a  word  of  the  past. 

The  technique  of  Copenhagen  differs  from  that 
of  Sevres  or  of  Berhn.  In  these  latter  cases  the 
crystals  appear  Hke  spots  oh  the  surface,  whereas 
in  Copenhagen  ware  the  crystals  have  a  more 
subtle  and  intimate  incorporation  with  the  glaze. 

14 


302    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

They  never  stand  on  the  surface,  and  often,  as  in 
the  mellow  brown  glaze,  they  lie  beneath  and 
glow  in  reflected  light. 

A  series  of  effects  in  broken  colour,  delicate  in 
marking  and  veined  and  mottled  in  most  pleasing 
character,  is  being  attempted  in  vases.  We 
illustrate  several  types  in  whole  and  partial 
crystallization,  which  lose  considerably  by  appear- 
ing as  black-and-white  illustrations.  Such  vases 
are  conspicuous  for  their  revelry  in  colour,  not 
the  hard,  dense,  opaque  colours  of  the  old  Chinese 
single  glazes,  "but  the  limpid,  vibrating,  restless 
subtleties  of  Nature's  own  play  of  pulsating  colours 
in  changeful  mood — the  dazzling  and  fairy-like 
opalescence  of  the  frost  and  the  deep  blue  of  the 
ice  cave,  or  the  pale  amber  sand-dunes  imper- 
ceptibly fading  into  a  translucent  green  stretch 
of  waters,  with  the  vaporous  haze  of  a  violet  sky. 
In  the  white  heat  of  the  modern  furnace  the 
flowers  of  a  prehistoric  day,  which  have  lain 
buried  in  the  coal  seams  of  an  alien  land,  trans- 
mute the  dull  clay  and  the  mineral  glaze  under 
the  hand '  of  the  modern  magician  into  colour 
nocturnes. 


I 
I 


I 


VASES.     '.,■.',;,, 
With  Crystalline  glazes  by  V.  Engelhardt. 


303 


CHAPTER  XI 

COPENHAGEN 
ART  FAIENCE 


I 


307 


CHAPTER  XI 

COPENHAGEN   ART  FAIENCE 

The  inception  of  a  new  technique — The  slow  growth  of  a 
new  art — The  old  masters  of  majolica — The  great 
promise  of  a  new  school — The  rich  output  of  colour 
and  inventive  form. 

The  student  of  ceramic  art  well  knows  that 
porcelain  and  earthenware,  although  as  poles 
asunder  in  their  technique,  do  oftentimes  touch 
one  another  in  apparent  affinity.  For  instance, 
what  is  more  earthen  than  the  brown  crumbling 
body  of  the  Dutch  delft  ware  ?  It  is  a  poor  rela- 
tion of  porcelain.  But  the  Dutch  potter  had  in 
mind  the  great  prototypes  of  the  East.  His  dishes 
and  his  jars  were  an  attempt  to  copy  blue-and- 
white  Kang-He  porcelain.  He  covered  his  brown 
body  with  a  white  enamel  and  painted  his  tulips 
and  his  Batavian-Chinese  designs  to  imitate  the 
Dutch  ■  East  India  Company's  examples  he  had 
before  him.  He  created  a  new  art,  but  he  started 
as  a  copyist.  Beautiful  as  is  Delft,  it  is  really 
only   a   simulation   in   earthenware   of   blue-and- 


310    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   POKCELAIN 

white  porcelain.  Similarly  in  regard  to  English 
earthenware*,  with  the  noteworthy  exceptions  of 
a  few  types  essentially  true  to  the  technique  of 
earthenware,  it  is  singular  how  peculiarly  obtuse 
the  vStaffordshire  potters  have  been  to  the  limita- 
tions of  earthenware.  They  have  assiduously 
attempted  to  bring  it  into  line  with  porcelain  in 
its  decoration  and  its  appearance.  The  line  of 
demarcation  between  earthenware  and  porcelain 
has  become  in  England  very  indefinite,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  true  porcelain  is  not  manufactured 
in  this  country.  In  consequence,  the  artificial 
composition  of  the  body  of  English  porcelain, 
where  calcined  bones  form  an  addition  to  the 
Chinese  formula  of  true  porcelain,  has  brought  it 
into  closer  relationship  with  earthenware  than 
is  the  case  in  any  other  European  porcelain. 
*'  Semi-porcelain,"  a  term  in  English  ceramics, 
is  not  to  be  found  elsewhere.  It  is^  still  a  moot- 
point  whether  to  classify  Wedgwood's  jasper 
ware  as  earthenware  or  porcelain.  "  Ironstone 
china,"  a  hardware  introduced  by  Mason  in  1830 
and  copied  by  other  potters,  is  earthenware,  and 
the  instances  could  be  multiplied  of  confusion  in 
nomenclature.  But  where,  as  on  the  Continent, 
only  hard  paste  that  is  true  porcelain  in  the 
Chinese  manner  is  produced,  save  at  Sevres,  the 
distinction  between  this  and  earthenware  is  most 
clearly  defined. 

At  Copenhagen,  therefore,  the  manufacture  of 
faience  at  a  porcelain  factory  was  a  leap  into  the 


I 


COPENHAGEN  ART  FAIENCE. 

Placque,  with  parrot,  decoiated  in  rich  colours  by  Christian  Joachim. 


311 


".  /; 


COPENHAGEN   ART   FAIENCE        313 

unknown.  Not  only  were  different  kilns  to  be 
employed,  but  a  different  technique  and  espe- 
cial conditions  governed  the  manufacture.  The 
theories  which  had  been  skilfully  put  into  practice 
and»the  ideals  which  had  been  reached  in  the  art 
of  porcelain  were  alien  to  the  new  departure  in 
the  held  of  faience.  To  have  welded  together 
the  two  arts  and  the  two  techniques  would  have 
ruined  the  enterprise  at  its  commencement.  The 
two  streams  were  allowed  to  run  apart,  and  the 
result  is  an  artistic  achievement  no  less  noteworthy 
than  the  Renaissance  of  the  Royal  Copenhagen 
porcelain.  The  mantle  of  Philip  Schou  has 
descended  on  his  son-in-law,  Frederik  Dalgas, 
who  has  ably  continued  the  traditions  of  his 
predecessor  in  the  management  of  this  national 
enterprise.  The  inception  and  development  of  this 
art  faience  of  Copenhagen  is  due  to  Mr.  Frederik 
Dalgas,  who  brought  a  keen  and  virile  intui- 
tion into  this  new  field  of  ceramic  adventure. 
Whereas  in  the  porcelain  there  is  delicate  artistry 
and  finesse,  in  the  faience  there  is  breadth  and 
vivacity  of  colour  schemes.  Never  do  the  twain 
touch  each  other  in  kinship.  The  faience  is  not 
a  poor  kinsman  of  the  porcelain.  It  is  a  new 
creation,  a  fresh  and  forceful  note  in  ceramic  art. 
It  has  a  relationship  with  bygone  majolica  of 
another  land.  It  is  a  transplantation  of  a  southern 
stock  into  a  northern  clime.  One  is  reminded  of 
those  labels  at  Kew  Gardens  indicating  that  certain 
rare   trees   from   sunnier   lands   have   been   accli- 


314    ROYAL  COPENHAGEN   POKCELAIN 

/ 
matized  and  haye  become  beauty  spots  in  a  far 
country. 

The-  Sloiy  Growth  of  a  New  Art. — It  is  always 
interesting  to  the  student  to  examine  specimens 
belonging  to  the  experimental  stage  of  an* art. 
It  is  here  that  the  potter  struggHng  with  his  new 
technique  betrays  in  his  motifs  suggestions  as  to 
its  origin.  There  are  very  few  wares  in  ceramic 
art  that  stand  out  as  supremely  original.  In 
some  way  or  another  they  bear  relationship  to 
earlier  potters'  work,  as  a  rule.  Whole  schools 
of  artistic  potters  have  been  avowedly  copyist. 
This  is  a  truism  in  regard  to  European  ceramic 
art  as  a  whole  :  it  is  admittedly  derivaiive  from 
Oriental  prototypes.  But  in  regard  to  various 
branches  of  pottery  apart  from  porcelain,  there 
is  .little  doubt. that  it  has  a  long  lineage.  It  is 
therefore  possible  to  compare  the  stages  of  evolu- 
tion of  faience  in  the  Western  countries  and  to 
realize  that  since  Greek  and  Roman  and  Etruscan 
days  man  was  a  progressive  potter,  though  even 
in  this  field  derivative  technique  came  from  east 
of  Suez.  The  earliest  examples  of  the  Copenhagen 
faience  suggest  that  the  old  Italian  majolica 
models  had  lingered  in  the  memory  of  the  potters 
making  their  essay  into  a  new  domain.  Thosp 
who  have  carefully  watched  the  slow  but  sure 
growth  of  this  art  faience  of  Copenhagen  will 
have  come  to  reahze  how  surely  the  potter  has 
put  his  foot  on  a  new  plane  and  established  some- 
thing that  is  characteristic  and  original.      He  has 


I 


COPENHAGEN    ART    FAIP:NCE. 
Vase,  decorated  with  sprays  of  flowers  in  ricii  colours. 


315 


COPENHAGEN  ART  FAIENCE        317 

by  a  gradual  process  year  by  year  added  new  forms, 
created  dishes  and  beakers  of  sound  design,  and 
perfected  the  decorations  in  colour  till  they  have 
reached  something  which  is  gay  without  being 
garish  and  exuberant  in  rich  colouring  without 
being  other  than  surprisingly  harmonious.  One 
wonders  how  the  Oriental  rug-weaver  can  place 
his  blues  and  his  reds  seemingly  so  disastrous  to 
tone  effect.  But  there  they  are,  and,  either  by 
strong  contrast  or  perfect  harmony,  the  results 
are  artistically  true.  It  is  the  same  question  one 
asks  of  the  colour  effects  in  the  Copenhagen  art 
faience.  They  are  perfectly  luscious  and  strik- 
ingly original.  No  one  else  has  employed  these 
combinations  of  pigments,  nor  their  wide  range 
of  colours.  They  appear  to  have  been  pro- 
duced by  magic.  But  to  any  one  with  a 
working  knowledge  of  a  great  factory  will  come 
the  reflection  that  the  apparent  magic  is  the 
wizardry  of  genius,*  and  genius  has  been  defined 
as  the  infinite  capacity  for  taking  pains.  The 
strenuous  work,  the  long  vigils,  the  indefatigable 
and  indomitable  determination  to  accomplish  the 
mastery  of  the  technique  is  here  evident.  It  is 
the  strong  and  fruitful  harvest  of  a  slow  growth 
carefully  tended  in  an  especially  artistic  environ- 
ment by  trained  minds. 

The  Old  Masters  of  Majolica. — The  Italian  school 
with  its  glazed  ware  of  polychrome  decora- 
tive effects,  Faenza,  Caffaggiolo,  Urbino,  Pesarro, 
and   later  its   lustre    (notably   the  ruby   ware    of 


318    KOYAL  COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

Gubbio),  was  partially  derivative  from  Persian 
and  from  Hispano-Moresque  prototypes.  Figure 
subjects  form  an  important  feature.  Groups  in 
contemporary  costume,  portraits,  and  religious 
or  allegorical  subjects,  as  well  as  heraldic  devices, 
occupy  the  centre  of  the  dish.  But  the  border 
is  a  framework  which  is  richly  decorated  with 
brilliant  and  varied  colours^  The  designs  are 
conceived  in  the  best  vein  of  sixteenth-century 
fecundity  of  invention.  Elaborate  fioriate  orna- 
ment is  in  combination  with  satyrs  and  grotesque 
masks,  or  cupids,  or  birds,  or  sea  monsters.  It 
suggests  the  sprightly  grace  which  enlivens  the 
tail-pieces  engraved  in  contemporary  Italian  books. 
Design,  till  it  ran  riot  later,  was  exuberant,  and 
there  seemed  no  end  to  the  outburst  of  originality 
and  imagination. 

It  is  to  these  old  masters,  particularly  of  the 
Italian  peri6d  from  about  1480  to  about  1580, 
that  one  turns  for  great  ideas  and  perfect  execu- 
tion. Before  the  latter  date  signs  were  evident 
that  the  art  was  declining :  already  the  secret  of 
the  Gubbio  ruby  lustre  had  been  lost. 

The  earlier  Persian  pottery  and  the  Rhodian 
ware,  produced  as  far  afield  as  Damascus  and 
Ispahan,  had  disseminated  the  wondrous  technique 
of  the  East.  The  Hispano-Moresque  ware  of 
Malaga  and  Valencia,  a  century  earlier  than  the 
greatest  period  of  the  Italian  school,  gradually 
lost  its  Moorish  character  with  arabesque  design 
and    pseudo-Arabic    characters,    till,    in    the    late 


COPENHAGEN   ART  FAIENCE. 

Vase  with  hexagonal  top  and  base,  richly  decorated  with  Howers  and  arabesque 
ornament,  by  Christian  Joachim. 


819 


COPENHAGEN   ART  FAIENCE        321 

sixteenth  century,  designs  ih  contemporary 
Spanish  costume  and  broad  floriate  borders  found 
favour.  The  copper  lustre  was,  however,  still 
a  feature. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  old  masters 
are  the  fount  from  which  so  much  has  been  derived. 
Nevers,  Rouen,  and  Moustiers  caught  the  colour- 
schemes  of  Persia  and  Italy,  and  each  in  turn 
made  them  her  own.  In  studying  the  finest 
work  of  the  old  masters  of  faience  we  see  that  the 
technique  is  something  very  different  from  what 
Staffordshire  has  mad6  it.  John  D wight  in  the 
seventeenth,  and  Thomas  Whieldon  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century  both  worked  on  sound  lines.  It 
is  not  high  art  to  attempt  to  make  faience  simulate 
porcelain,  any  more  than  it  is  when  wall  paper 
pretends  to  be  marble,  or  leather,  or  tapestry. 
Porcelain  shows  as  much  of  its  white  body  and 
sparkling  glaze  as  is  possible.  It  depends,  as 
does  an  etching,  on  its  uncovered  background  for 
its  luminous  effects  and  its  atmosphere.  Faience 
is  like  an  oil  painting  :  it  demands  that  the  whole 
surface  be  covered.  It  has  a  yellow,  or  brown, 
or  green,'  or  lilac  ground.  The  decoration,  in 
contradistinction  to  porcelain,  is  broad  and  strong. 
There  are  no  finicking  "  Chantilly  sprigs "  in 
faience.  Bold,  virile,  and  striking  must  be  the 
notes  that  dominate  faience,  but  withal — and 
herein  lies  the  supremest  difficulty — it  must  be 
naive  and  simple.  It  must  not  suggest  the 
palace,  and  certainly  not  the  boudoir.      It  must 


322    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN   PORCELAIN 

bespeak  the  open  air.  It  is  the  perennial  her- 
baceous border  in  ceramic  art,  and  not  the  hot- 
house or  the  conservatory. 

The  Great  Promise  of  a  New  School. — Lovers 
of  Copenhagen  ware  and  Connoisseurs  who  were 
aware  of  the  possibiHties  of  faience  produced  under 
rightly  understood  principles  have  not  been  dis- 
appointed in  the  art  faience  which  Mr.  Christian 
Joachim  has  made  his  own  under  a  group  of 
trained  artist  potters.  His  is  the  guerdon  of 
praise,  and  thd  laurel  wreath  should  be  placed  on 
his  head  for  his  services  to  the  art  of  his  native 
country.  He  has  happily  received  the  support 
of  a  farseeing  directorate.  His  life  record  will 
stand  as,  a  great  triumph  for  the  Copenhagen  art 
faience.  What  Arnold  Krog  has  done  in  porcelain, 
Christian  Joachim  has  done  in  faience.  With  a 
fine  appreciation  of  the  limitations  of  his  technique, 
and  with  a  bold  imagination  as  to  further  possi- 
bilities in  modern  conditions,  he  has  sent  forth  his 
pottery  with  a  message  of  gaiety  and  youth.  No 
man  is  a  prophet  in  his  own  country.  But  in 
Europe  and  in  America  Christian  Joachim's  work 
has  become  noteworthy.  Danes  the  world  over 
buy  it  because  it  is  Danish.  We  EngUsh  and 
other  strangers  buy  it  because  it  is  beautiful  art. 

In  an  examination  of  the  art  tendencies  of  the 
new  school,  it  would  appear  that  in  the  .attempt 
to  be  sui'prisingly  original  there  is  the  wilful  aban- 
donment of  anything  suggestive  of  Persian,  or 
Rhodian,  or  Moorish,  or  Italian  ideals.      The  motifs 


I 
I 


5    b 


323 


COPENHAGEN  ART  FAIENCE         325 

are  especially  modern,  and  the  schemes  of  colour 
are  skilfully  handled  in  a  novel  manner,  and 
owing  to  scientific  development  the  potter's  palette 
is  more  extensive  than  heretofore.  The  promise 
has  already  been  fulfilled,  and  connoisseurs  await 
later  developments  with  no  little  curiosity. 

The  Rich  Output  of  Colour  and  Inventive  Form. 
— The  illustrations   to   this  .  chapter  lack  v  colour, 
and  therefore  they  cannot  do  justice  to  what  is 
one  of  the  most  important  features  in  the  new  art 
faience.      Among  the  pigments  that  are  used  are 
the  following,  no  incomplete  range^in  comparison 
with  what  has  gone  before  in  this  ceramic  field. 
The    Dutch   found   blue   the   least   refractory   of 
colours,  and  adhered  largely  to  its  use  till  later 
they  employed  yellow.      Rouen  employed  yellow 
and    red    and     green.      But    Copenhagen    has    a 
palette  consisting  of  cream,  yellow,  green,  blue, 
red,   lilac,   and  a  warm  plum  colour  or  purple. 
This    latter    colour,    the     product    of     scientific 
modernity,  is  wielded  with  a  sure  hand  by  Chris- 
tian   Joachim   and   his    school  of   artists.      It    is 
in   such  examples  as  the  dish  and    the   placque 
with  tropical  birds  (illustrated,  pp.  307,  311)  that 
the   rich   colour    effects    procurable    are    seen   at 
their  best.      In   the   placque   extreme   simplicity 
and  artlessness  of  design. is  exhibitec^in  the  floral 
border.     In  the  dish  the  border  is  luxuriant  with 
colour,   although    broad ^  in  treatment.     Such  ex-. 
amples  are  extremely  decorative,  and  exhibit  this 
branch  of  ceramic  art  on  a  high  level.     They  attain 


326    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


their  excellence  by  methods  of  their  own.  They 
cannot  be  confounded  with  the  productions  of 
any  other  factory,  either  older  or  contemporary. 
Their  originality  is  a  factor  not  to  be  eliminated 
in  adjudging  them. 

In  vases  and  other  vessels  demanding  attention 
to  form  there  is  apparent  the  striving,  natural 
in  all  potters,  for  unique  forms.  A  fine  vase 
with  rich  floral  decoration  (illustrated,  p.  315) 
follows  the  early  Italian  drug  pot.  Another 
breaks  new  ground,  and  its  square  hexagonal 
surfaces  require  a  touch  of  geometric  ornament, 
rarely,  found  in  Copenhagen  faience  (illustrated, 
p.  319).  Punch-bowls  with  covers,  having  as  a 
knob  a  full-sized  lemon  in  natural  colours,  are 
novel  and  utilitarian.  The  modelling  of  Mr. 
Harboe  and  of  Mr.  Slott-Moller  is  deserving  of 
recognition.  A  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  was 
performed  some  years  ago  in  the  open  air  in  a 
glade  in  the  Deerhavn,  near  Copenhagen,  before 
some  thousands  of  people.  It  is  natural,  there- 
fore, to  find  little  faience  figures  of  Bottom  the 
Weaver,  of  Flute  the  Bellows-mender,  and  of 
Philostrate  the  Master  of  the  Revels,  of  Puck,  of 
Oberon  and  of  Titania,  and  of  delightful  fairies. 
These  are  not  conjured  up  from  the  German  trans- 
lation by  Sthlegel  of  Shakespeare's  plays,  but 
from  Shakespeare's  own  imaginings,  niinus  the 
addition  of  the  heavy  hand  of  German  Kultur. 
We  do  not  remember  that  Staffordshire  has 
attempted  to  reproduce  Shakespearian  characters 


I 


327 


•*o' 


COPENHAGEN  ART  FAIENCE         329 

in  clay,  though  at  one  time,  after  Wedgwood, 
Jupiter  and  Venus  and  other  aUen  gods  and  god- 
desses were  found  on  every  cottager's  mantelshelf. 
The  Copenhagen  figures  of  Clown,  Columbine,  and 
Harlequin  are  pleasing  in  their  graceful  simplicity 
(illustrated,  p.  327). 

Boxes — bonhonnieres  as  the  French  term  them — 
are  produced  in  great  variety.  We  reproduce 
two,  broadly  decorated  and  having  covers  with 
original  design  of  bird  and  wood  sprite.  This 
latter  follows  the  true  canons  of  plastic  art.  He 
is  as  rotund,  with  no  breakable  projections,  as  a 
Japanese  ivory  button  netsuke.  With  them  is 
illustrated  a  vase  Persian  in  character,  but  with 
modern  colour  effects.  All  this  is  excellent,  but 
one  asks  for  more.  In  wishing  the  new  school 
of  the  North  bon  voyage,  we  may  be  allowed  to 
express  a  hope  that  it  will  continue  its  outburst 
of  resplendent  colour  and  perpetuate  its  virile 
design,  that  it  may  worthily  vie  with  the  great 
masters  of  faience  in  the  South  and  in  the  East. 
In  regard  to  personal  inclinations,  the  writer  would 
like  to  see  sometimes  embodied  in  the  decorative 
borders  of  placques  and  vases  the  interlaced  work 
of  Runic  design,  symbolic  of  the  Norse  mystery 
and  magic.  If  the  Italian  saints  find  place  on 
the  tazzas  of  Faenza,  surely  Thor  and  Wodin, 
who  gave  their  names  to  two  days  of  the  week, 
and  other  heroes  of  Northern  mythology,  should 
be  embodied  in  this  Copenhagen  gallery.  The 
triumphs   of  the  Vikings  and  their  sagas  quicken 


330    ElOYAL  COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 


the  imagination.  Of  heroes  of  later  date,  one 
could  wish  to  see  Cnut  at  the  English  seashore, 
or  the  rugged  portrait  of  old  Christian  IV. 

It  may  be  that  these  vain  cravings  for  pages 
from  the  past  run  not  attune  to  the  dreams  of 
the  master  potter  with  an  eye  to  the  future  ; 
possibly  decorative  technique  forbids — but  here 
are  the  stray  lines  of  a  foreign  spectator  in  kindly 
spirit. 

The  ware  is  marked  in  green  with  an  italic  A 
to  signify  its  origin  from  the 
parent  Aluminia  factory  as  early 
as  1863,  and  to  this  are  added 
the  three  lines  so  well  known 
as  a  Royal  Copenhagen  Porcelain 
mark. 


c     . 

o    t 


331 


I 


J     • 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   FACTORY 
TO-DAY 


15  333 


I 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE   FACTORY   TO-DAY 

Its  situation  and  surroundings — Facilities  for  the  study 
of  plant,  flower,  and'animal  life — Modem  eauipment 
in  machinery  and  in  hygienic  improvements — The 
absence  of  lead  poisoning — New  impulses. 

In  the  'word  factory  there  is  nothing  suggestive 
of  poetry.  In  England  it  represents  the  Franken- 
stein who  has  slain  many  cottage  industries.  In 
connection  with  our  own  potteries  there  are  the 
Five  Towns,  merged  into  one,  with  a  quarter  of 
a  million  of  inhabitants.  They  stand  for  organized 
science  and  appUed .  manufacture.  Their  archi- 
tecture is  an  architecture  of  chimney-shafts  and 
kilns,  black  with  smoke.  It  is  a  prosperous 
district,  crammed  with  the  workers  in  a  gigantic 
industry.  There  are  visions  of  murky  canals, 
and  great  hills  of  accumulated  rubble  of  the  mines, 
coal  and  copper  and  iron,  dug  from  the  bowels 
of  the  earth  arid  blotting  out  the  skyline. 

There  are  crowded  byways  filled  with  hurr)dng 
operatives,     men    and    women    and    girls.     The 

335 


336    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

beauty  of  the  rich,  green,  undulating  lands  of 
Staffordshire  has  been  effaced  by  this  delving  of 
human  moles.  It  is  as  though  some  ruthless  giant 
had  made  sport  of  the  hills  and  worked  havoc 
on  a  smiling  plain.  But  modern  life  ^  demands 
sacrifices,  and  chinaware  must  be  made  to  send 
to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth — this  is  the  great 
White  Country. 

In  Denmark  things  are  managed  differently. 
It  comes  as  a  welcome  surprise  to  the  English 
visitor,  educated  to  other  scenes,  to  find  the 
Royal  Porcelain  Factory  set  in  a  pleasant  suburb 
of  the  city  near  the  old  gardens  of  the  Palace  of 
Frederiksberg.  One  cannot  have  an  omelette 
without  breaking  eggs  :  the  factory  chimneys  are 
there,  the  green-hedged  paths  are  surely  a  snare 
leading  up  to  another  such  prison-house  as  are 
all  factories  the  world  over.  Here  are  the  heaps 
of  quartz,  and  we  catch  the  hum  of  the  machinery. 
The  workers  are  in  the  hive  ;  some  unkind  sprite 
has  snatched  them  from  the  pleasant  ways  of  a 
delightful  city  set  by  the  sea  and  immured  them 
for  their  sins  in  this  fortress  of  stone. 

It  suggests  the  story  of  Bottger  and  his  workmen 
imprisoned  by  reason  of  the  secrets  they  held. 
Surely  these  workmen  and  artists  who  know  the 
secret  of  the  Copenhagen  ware  will  not  be  allowed 
to  escape.  It  is  too  precious  a  thing  to  Denmark 
that  its  secrets  be  divulged.  But  the  reply  comes 
suddenly  when  the  doors  are  opened  and  the 
secret,  that  is  no  secret,  is  disclosed.      These  men 


I 


A 


O       o 
<       o 


i   I 


337 


THE   FACTORY  TO-DAY  339 

and  women  are  Danes,  and  proud  of  their  art 
and  filled  with  the  love  of  their  Copenhagen 
porcelain.  They  come  and  go  as  they  will.  Like 
bees  they  roam  over  the  flowers  and  the  gems  of 
nature,  and  they  return  home  to  the  hive  because 
they  love  their  art.  That  which  their  hand  findeth 
to  do,  they  do  with  all  their  might. 

Facility  for  Study  of  Animal  and  Plant  Life. — 
There  is  sunshine  here  in  this  Northern  pottery. 
The  courtyard  shows  a  scene  no  other  factory  in 
the  world  can  offer  ;  it  is  bewildering  to  a  student 
of  potteries  :  a  turkey  with  her  brood  proudly 
dominates  the  scene.  We  have  with  the  camera 
caught  this  as  a  record.  It  is  as  suggestive  as 
it  is  remarkable  that  the  artists  have  carried  their 
love  for  fidelity  so  far  that  flowers  and  animals 
and  birds  find  themselves  in  suitable  environment 
at  this  strange  enchanted  factory. 

Animal  life  is  dear  to  the  potters  here.  There 
are  over  three  hundred  moulds  of  different  types 
— wading  and  diving  wild  fowl  from  the  rfemoter 
"  haunts  of  coot  and  hern "  ;  sea-gulls,  never 
absent  from  the  harbour  and  canals  spanned  by 
bridges  over  which  trams  pass  ;  bears  and  seals, 
the  originals  of  which  are  to  be  found  at  the 
Zoological  Gardens  close  by  ;  and  if  the  Phoenix 
— that  fabulous  bird  which  lives  for  five  hundred 
years,  making  its  nest  of  spices  and  burning  itself 
to  ashes,  coming  forth  with  renewed  life  for 
another  five  hundred  years — could  be  captured, 
it  would  find  a  place  in  the  aviary  of  the  factory 


340    ROYAL  COPENHAGE^^   PORCELAIN 

which,  Phoenix-like,  has  arisen  with  youth  and 
vigour. 

The  Absence  of  Lead  Poisoning. — In  place  of 
the  white-faced  factory  workers,  we  find  at  the 
Copenhagen  factory  a  healthy  band  of  workmen, 
artisans,  and  artists,  employed  in  conditions  that 
are  a  credit  to  all  concerned.  The  usual  drudgery 
of  a  pottery  is  eliminated  as  much  as  possible  in 
this  factory.  The  latest  modern  appliances  to 
ventilate  the  dust-laden  air  are  in  use.  There  are 
no  cases  of  lead-poisoning,  because  lead  is  not  used 
in  the  factory  either  in  pigments  or  in  glazes.  A 
dining-hall  and  dressing-rooms  have  been  erected 
for  the  workmen.  The  factory  provides  its  own 
electricity  and  mechanical  power  ;  it'  is  heated 
throughout  by  hot  water,  and  has  a  complete 
system  of  vacuum  and  pressure  mains. 

The  lady  artists  work  in  almost  ideal  conditions. 
They  are  installed  in  studios  filled  with  flowers 
and  plants,  and  in  no  other  factory  are  the  artistic 
conditions  so  favourable  to  the  study  of  plant 
and  animal  life.  The  photographs  we  reproduce 
are  taken  of  the  normal  surroundings  of  everyday 
work. 

The  writer  ha^  indelible  memory  pictures  of 
the  workmen  at  the  machinery,  or  in  the  open 
air  turning  over  the  quartz  where  it  lies  in  heaps 
"  weathering,"  exposed  to  the  sun  and  the  frost, 
of  slowly  grinding  stones  revolving  in  a  vat  mixing 
and  amalgamating  the  raw  materials,  in  preparing 
them   for   the   next   stage  of  handling,   revealing 


OS  ■- 

O  is 

cu 

!^  "S 

C5  .^ 

<  o 

I  I 

a,  = 

O  '^ 

'J  « 


811 


•  '  • 


•   -•  ^» • 


.•.:?':>:0-Ji.i 


thp:  factory  today  343 

the  slow  and  patient  processes  of  the  potter's  art. 
There  is  something  hazardous  in  manipulating 
the  raw  materials,  crushing  them  into  powder, 
and  bringing  them  together  in  the  correct  pro- 
portions for  the  body.  It  is  here  that  the  long 
traditions  of  the  factory,  the  well-guarded  secrets 
in  the  mixing,  and  the  skilful  instinct  in  conjunc- 
tion with  scientific  exactitude,  come  into  full 
operation.  The  result  is  evident  in  the  smooth, 
white,  pearly  body  and  the  transparent  liquid 
glaze,  so  technically  perfect  and  so  much  admired 
by  other  potters. 

One  recalls  an  anxious  and  expectant  group  at 
the  ovens  when  a  firing  is  being  removed  after 
the  ovens  have  cooled  down  from  the  intense  heat 
of  the  grand  feu,  a  temperature  never  attempted 
by  the  manufacturers  of  soft-paste  porcelain  in 
this  country. 

The  laboratory  holds  mysteries  of  its  own.  It 
is  an  inner  sanctum  to  which  few  penetrate. 
These  Httle  human  touches  indicate  that  there 
is  a  romance  in  manufacture  as  well  as  in  more 
stirring  scenes  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  roll 
of  the  drum  or  the  rousing  bugle-call.  The 
potter's  art  is  rich  'in  associations  which  render 
the  arts  of  peace  as  alluring  in 'story  as  the  arts 
of  war.  Many  victories  have  been  won  in  silence, 
but  no  less  triumphant  for  that,  and  these  repre- 
sent man's  conquest  of  earth  and  the  white-hot 
flame  of  the  furnace,  whereby  he  transmutes  the 
rocks  from  the  quarry  and  the  mountain-side  into 


344    ROYAL   COPENHAGEN  PORCELAIN 

crystal  vases  reflecting  those  same  mountains, 
and  streams,  and  placid  lakes,  and  clouds  in 
stately  procession.  This  is  the  art  of  the  magician, 
and  modern  science  has  added  one  more  laurel 
wreath  to  her  victories  over  the  elements. 

The  interior  of  a  great  factory  where  art  is  in 
the  making  has  many  exciting  moments.  The 
cruel  fire  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  After  the 
various  steps  have  been  taken,  the  grinding, 
the  mixing,  the  moulding  into  form,  the  firing  in 
biscuit,  the  painting,  and  the  subsequent  glazing, 
the  creation  comes  out  of  the  oven  as  a  finished 
work  of  art.  At  any  one  of  these  stages  a  slip 
may  mean  disaster.  Each  successive  process 
gains  in  difficulty.  It  is  a  tragic  instant  when 
the  last  hour  is  reached.  After  the  oven  has 
cooled  the  news  goes  round  that  a  firing  is  being 
taken  from  the  kiln.  A  knbt  of  artists  gathers 
round  as  each  piece  comes  out.  Some  call  for 
admiration  ;  there  is  ^  hush  of  joyful  surprise 
when  a  completed  masterpiece  comes  forth  perfect. 
Alas  !  too  often  some  delightful  dream  with  its 
tender  colours  has  twisted  out  of  shape  in  the 
intense  heat.  A  graceful  form  has  coalesced  with 
a  neighbouring  vase.  They  stand  as  failures, 
and  the  workman  with  swift,  relentless  hand  gives 
them  a  tap  with  a  hammer,  and  they  become 
shards.  The  poet-painter's  dream  has  ended  in 
nothingness. 

New  Impulses. — In  regard  to  the  future  there 
are  golden  hopes  and  happy  anticipations.     The 


I 


THE   FACTORY  TO-DAY 


345 


past  has  been  glorious,  the  present  is  triumphant. 
A  true  and  living  school  of  design  amid  sound 
artistic  environment  has  its  band  of  artist-potters, 
trained  under  happy  auspices,  whose  aims  are 
set  steadfastly  on  art  that  is  nothing  unless  it  be 
national — these  are  the  children  of  to-morrow. 
New  generations  will  come  and  go,  and  new  art 
impulses  will  beat,  as  the  waves  breaking  from 
the  Baltic,  on  the  Uttle  pottery  set  on  a  rock  and 
proud  in  its  great  achievements.  The  future, 
like  the  vessel  in  the  furnace,  is  in  the  hands  of 
Fate.  Taking  courage  in  both  hands,  the  potter- 
sons  of  Denmark  will  in  those  yet  unborn  days 
carry  on  the  great  traditions.  There  is  a  great 
heritage  for  the  sons  of  the  days  to  come,  and 
looking  backward,  they  will  place  the  laurel  wreath 
on  the  brow  of  the  masters  who,  iii  the  old  days 
and  at  the  present  era,  have  fought  the  good  fight 
and  won  the  guerdon  of  praise  from  potters  in 
far-off  lands  who  have  paid  homage  to  the  art  of 
the  Three  Blue  Lines. 


FINIS 


J 


INDEX 


INDEX 


A    as    a    mark,    Copenhagen 

faience,  330 
Abildgaard,  107 
A.H.  as  a  maxk,  102 
Aluniinia  Company  buys  fac- 
tory (in  1883),  205 
Aluminia  mark  on  Art  faience, 

330 
Andersen,  Hans,  Princess  and 

Swineherd,     Tinder     Box, 

figures    illustrating,     269, 

284 
Animal     life,     study     of,     at 

Copenhagen,  270,  339 
Antonibon,  Pasqual,  potter  at 

Venice,  24 
Arentz,  Johan,  109 
Amoux,  Report  on  Pottery  at 

Paris    Exhibition     (1867), 

24 
Art  Faience,  Copenhagen,  307- 

330 

B  and  G  (as  a  mark),  283 

bargains  in  porcelain,  a  regi- 
ment of  dragoons  ex- 
changed for  collection  of 
porcelain,  32 

Battle  of  Copenhagen,  179 
Bowl  commemorating,  184 

Bau,  N,,  109 

Bayer,  J.  C,  the  painter  of  the 
Flora  Danica  service,  105. 
Signature  of,  103 


BerUn     factory     founded     by 

Frederick  the  Great,  32 
Bing,  M.,  collection  of  Oriental 

art  at  Paris,  215 
Bing   and    Grondahl,    Messrs., 

the  factory  of,  at  Copen- 
hagen, 283 
Bird  hfe,  strongly  represented 

in    figures    and    painted 

work,  270,  339 
Biscuit  figures,  a  high  test  of 

ceramic  art,  266 
Biscuit   figures   of   great   size 

(Sevres  porcelain)    (1900), 

224 
Blue-and-white,  early,   under- 

glaze  painted,  157-76 
Painters  of,   104,   no 
Table  of  marks,  174-6 
BoisgeUn,     Count     Louis     de, 

visits  Copenhagen  factory 

(1790),  76,  109 
his    report    quoted,    76-84, 

150,  151 

Bornholm  clay  used  at  early 
period,  63,  78,  163 

Botanical  character  of  Copen- 
hagen, decoration  in  Flora 
Danica  service,  148 

Bottger,  Johann  Fredrich,  his 
discovery  of  hard  porce- 
lain, 22,  29 
his  secret  divulged  through- 
out Europe,  30,  35 


349 


350 


INDEX 


Bowl  in  memory  of  Battle  of 

Copenhagen,  184 
Brandstrup,  gilding  by,  195 
Brongniart  discontinues  making 

pate  tendre  at  Sevres,  24 
Bushell,  Stephen  W.,  "Chinese 

Art,"  quoted,  23 

C7  (incised)  as  a  mark,  illus- 
trated, 104 

Cadewitz,  Martin,  107 

Camrath,  Johan,  junior,  no 
senior,  108 

Caroline  MatiJda  (Queen  of 
Denmark),  her  tragic  his- 
tory, 47  , 

Catherine     II,      Empress     of 
Russia ;      her     friendship 
with  contemporary  philo- 
sophers and  scientists,  142 
Establishes  a  French  theatre 

at  St.  Petersburg,   142 
Letter  of  Voltaire  to,  143 
Great   services    made    for — 
Flora  Danica,  139 
Sevres,  139  . 

Wedgwood,  140 

Characteristics  of  modem  Co- 
penhagen porcelain,    230, 

233 
Charles  XV  of  Sweden,  present 

of    Fournier    Copenhagen 

service  to,  39 
(^hild-life  a  feature  in  Copen- 
hagen modelling,  274 
"  Chinese  Art,"  by  Stephen  W. 

Bushell,  quoted,  23 
Chinese    conventional    under- 

glaze  blue-painted  types, 

233,  238 
Crackled  glazes,  292 
Flambi  glazes,  291 
Influence  on  Copenhagen  at 

the  outset  of  the  modern 

period,  211 


Potter,  the  poetry  of  the,  95, 

245 
Prototypes     in     underglaze 

painted  porcelain,  233 
Subjects     at     Copenhagen, 

rare,  125 
Christian    VII    (of  Denmark), 

the  court  of,  43-52 
Chronology     (Queen     JuUane 

Marie  period)  (1732-1780), 

42 
Chronology  (1780-1820),  74 
Classic     movement     the,      in 

Europe,  191 
Classic  ornament,  avoidance  of, 

in     modern     Copenhagen 

porcelain,  234 
used  in  Copenhagen  decadent 

period,  196 
Clement,    chemist    at    Copen- 
hagen   factory,    produces 

first    crystaUine    glaze    in 

1886,  219 
Clio,  Hans,  signature  of,   10 1, 

106  « 

Colour,   combinations  of  rich, 

in  Copenhagen  art  faience, 

325 
Colours  of  underglaze  painting, 

their  limitation,  236,  268 
Colours    invented    by   Muller, 

64,78- 
Commemorative  placques,  230, 

243 
Commonplaq^        development 
of      underglaze      painting 
avoided    at    Copenhagen, 

234 

Contemporary  criticism  of  Co- 
penhagen factory  (1790), 
quoted,  76 

Copenhagen  Art  Faience,  309- 

31 
Copenhagen  factory  compared 
with  Meissen,  77-80,  126 


I 


INDEX 


351 


Copenhagen  Factory  Mark,  its 
origin  and  symbolic  mean- 
ing. 56 

Copenhagen  porcelain,  early 
(soft-paste),  37 

Copenhagen  porceladn,  charac- 
teristics of  modern  style, 

230.  233 

Copyists  of  modern  Copen- 
hagen porcelain,  229,  295 

Costume  subjects,  weakness  of, 
in  china,  266 

Costume  subjects,  respective 
claims  of  overglaze  and 
underglaze  painting,  268 

Costume  subjects.  Meissen 
vitiates  Europe,  126 

Costume  subjects  in  Meissen 
and  Chelsea  manner 
avoided  at  Copenhagen, 
126,  129,  277 

Court  scandal.  Coup  d'etat  of 
Crown  Prince  Frederik,  48 

Court  scandal.  The  story  of 
Queen    CaroUne    Matilda, 

47 
Crackled  glazes,  292,  301 
Crown,  use  of,  as  a  mark,  262 
Crystalline  glazes,  289-303 
Crystalline  glazes  invented  by 

Hr.  Clement  in  1886,  the 

chemist  at  the  Copenhagen 

factory,  219 

Dalgas,  Frederik,  his  activity 

in  upholding  the  traditions 

of  the  factory,  313 
his  development  of  the  Art 

Faience,  313 
Dannemand,  Countess,  presents 

p.   service  of   Copenhagen 

porcelain   to   Charles   XV 

of  Sweden,  39 
Danish  and  Japanese  ceramic 

art  compared,  247 


Danish  heroes  of  the  Battle  of 

Copenhagen,  184     , 
"  Danish  "  pattern,  the,  in  blue 
and  white,  159 
Dish,  illustrated,  169 
Plate,  illustrated,  249 
Decadence,  the,  at  Copenhagen 
factory  (i 820-1 880),  177- 

97 

Decoration,  fitting,  a  true  test 
of  high  ceramic  art,  238 

Defects  in  firing  in  porcelain 
corrected  by  the  painter, 
265 

Delft  and  its  origin,  309 

Denmark  the  arena  of  Euro- 
pean conflicts,  art  im- 
pulses extinguished,  179 

Denmark,  the  first  porcelain 
made  in,  35 

Derby  porcelain  peacock  com- 
pared with  Copenhagen 
model,  288 

Diderot  and  Catherine  II  of 
Russia,  142 

Diversity  of  designs,  Miiller 
period,  81 

Dutch  potters'  imitation  of 
Chinese  porcelain,  309 

Eckersberg,     Danish    painter, 

197 
Eighteenth   century,    outburst 

of  enthusiasm  for  art  of 

potter,  28 
Empire  style,  the  so-called,  191 
EncyclopcBdia       Britannica 

(191 1),  article  on  Ceramics 

{re  Copenhagen)     quoted, 

282 
Engelhardt,  Hr.  V.,  chemist  at 

Copenhagen    factory,    his 

crystaUine  glazes,  223,296 
EngUsh    factories,    soft-paste, 

Hst  of,  27 


352 


INDEX 


Hard  paste,  27 

English  factories,  slavish  imita- 
tion   of    Oriental    models 
and  marks,  11,  281 
The    short  duration  of    the 
old,  202 

English  factories,  soft  paste 
mainly  produced  at,  27 

Enghsh  porcelain,  its  peculiar 
technique,  310 

EngUsh  potters,  clever  tech- 
nique of,  27 

Europe,  establishment  of  china 
factories  in,  21 
Secret    of    hard    paste   dis- 
covered, 29 

European  ceramic  art,  a  new 
note  added  by  Copen- 
hagen, 216 

European  factories,  hard-paste, 
origin  of,  30 

F  painted  in  forget-me-nots,  99 

F5,  mark  Fournier  period,  36 

Factory  marks,  European,  with 
royal  and  patrician  cy- 
phers 28 

Factory  Mark,  not  used  from 
1 773-1775  at  Copenhagen, 
42,  56 

Factory  Mark  (Copenhagen), 
origin  and  meaning  of  the 
three  blue  lines,  56 

Factory,  the  old,  closed  down 
for  want  of^fuel,  135 

Factory,     the    Royal    Copen- 
hagen, to-day,  333-45 
Art  Faience  and  its  future, 

330 

Dalgas,  Frederik,  the  modern 
spirit  of,  the  artistic  dis- 
tinction achieved  under 
his  direction,  313 

Facilities  for  study  of  plant 
and  animal  life,  339 


Its  artistic  environment,  339 

Its   modern   equipment,    its 

hygienic     improvements, 

340 
The  studios  (illustrated),  341 
Faience,  Copenhagen  Art,  309- 

31 

Faience,  its  technique,  321 

Falck,  A,,  buys  factory  in  1867, 
196 

Figure  Subjects,  early  produc- 
tion of,  at  Copenhagen,  71 
National  character  of,    126, 
274 

Figure    Subjects    and    Groups 
(1780-1820),  111-36 
Classification  of,  122 
Renaissance  period,  263-88 

Figure   Subjects,   Thorvaldsen 
period,  196 

Fischer,     Admiral,     bowl     in 
memory  of,  184 

Fish  modelled  from  nature,  273 

Flamhe  glazes  of  Chinese  pot- 
ters, 291 

Flora  Danica  service,  the,  137- 
56 
Painters   and    modellers   of, 
105,    106,    108,    144,    155, 
156 

Flora  Russica,   by   Dr.    P.    S. 
Pallas,  German  naturaUst, 

153 
Florence,    imitative    porcelain 

made  at,  23 
Foreign    porcelain    prohibited 

in  Denmark,  114 
Foreign  workmen  and  artists 
at  Copenhagen — 
Bayer,  83 
Cadewitz,  83    . 
from  Meissen,  59 
Luplau,  60,  83,  121,  122 
Thomasefsky,  83 
Form  versus  Colour,  265,  266 


IXDKX 


:^5:^ 


Formal  landscape,  tlie.  sup- 
planted by  niodcrn  C(>})cn- 
hagen.  2^.\ 

Fortia,  de,  Count  Alplu>nse.  his 
volume.  76 

Fournier,  Louis,  French  potter 
at  Copenhagen,  36 

Fournier,  Louis,  and  his  |ieriod 
(1 760-1 766),  35-0 
Mark  used  by,  3f) 

Frederick  the  Great  carries  off 
Meissen  workmen  to  Ber- 
lin, ^2 

Frederick  the  Great  founds  the 
Berlin  factory,  32 
his  ruse  to  stimidate  interest 
in  porcelain,  ^^2 

Frederik  V  of  Denmark,  S6vres 
service  a  present  from 
Louis  XV,  38 

Frederik  V  establishes  a  factory 
at  Copenhagen,  33 

Frederik  VI,  his  early  training, 
141 
Orders  the  Flora  Danica  to 
be  made,   140 

Fredericksborg  Castle,  vases 
-at,  125 

Fiirstenberg,  artist  from,  at 
Copenhagen,  71 

Fiirstenberg,  mark  of,  mistaken 
for  early  Copenhagen  por- 
celain, 36 

Future  triumphs,  the  super- 
natural   yet     un  plumbed, 

Garmein,  painter   (1820-  1823), 

195 
Garnier,  M.  Kdouard  (of  Sevres 

Museum),      quoted,      izo, 

223 
Genius  independent  of  modern 

science,  67,  91 
Ctforge  III  demands  release  of 


his  sister  on  pain  of  war 
being  declared,  51 
Gilding  of  exquisite  quality  at 
;  Copenhagen,  91 

'   Ginger    jar,    the    Chinese,    of 
-commerce,  its  beauty,  237 
Glaze-— 
I        Overglaze  decoration,  233 
Underglaze  decoration,  21  ^. 
224.  236.  268 
Glazes — 
i       Chinese  crackled,  292 
i        Chinese  flanibe,  291 

Crystalline        (Copenhagen), 

I       Transmutation.  291,  301 
I   Gray,     Thomas,     student     of 
nature,  153 
The    first    note   of    love    of 
nature  in   English   litera- 
j  ture  in  his  "  Letters,"  153 

'   Grimm    and    Catherine    II    of 
I  Russia,  142 

Gubbio.  ruby  lustre  glaze  of, 


,    ilald,  Andreas,  log 

;        Signature  of,  102 

I    Hamilton,  Lady,  Nelson's  let- 

;  'ters  to,  187 

,   Hamlet,  quoted,  192 

I    Hansen,  Lars,  painter,  106 

Hard  paste — 
]       first  made  at  Meissen,  22,  29 
I        Plymouth,  Bristol,  and  New 
Hall,  27 
Sevres,   manufacture  of,  at, 

-4 

Heraldic  placques  designed  by 
Arnold  Krog,  230,  243 

I  letch,  G.,  Director  of  Copen- 
hagen factory,   191 

Highest  work  of  Copenhagen, 
an  attempt  to  indicate, 
230.  ^33 


354 


rXDEX 


Hispano-Moresque  ware,  318 
HIM  (incised)  as  a  mark,  illus- 
trated, 104 
Molm     (Privy     Chancellor     to 
Queen  Juliane  Marie),  en- 
courages Miiller,  55 
Holm  (potter),  signature  of,  103 
Holmskjold,   the  botanist,   di- 
rector of  Copenhagen  fac- 
tory, 144 
IToyen,     his    lecture    on     the 
natural  Scandinavian  art, 
196 

I  as  a  mark,  195 

I.  Holm,  103,  107 

Imitativeness  of  European  pot- 
ters, II,  215,  281.  309,-314 

Imitators  of  modern  Copen- 
hagen porcelain,  229,  281 

Initials. on  Copenhagen  porce- 
lain (F),  99 

Inscription  on  Chinese  vase,  93 
Copenhagen  (bowl),  184 
(cup),  69.  99 
(plate),  87 

(cup  and  saucer),  99 
Staffordshire  pottery,  96 

Italian  Majolica,  old  masters 
of.  3^7 

J  (mark  of  Jensen),  195 

Jacobsen,  quoted,  251 

Japanese  and  Danish  ceramic 
art  compiired,  247 

Japanese  imitations  of  Copen- 
hagen porcelain,  247,  281 

Japanese  influence  in  Copen- 
hagen at  outset  of  modern 
period,  235 

Japanese  ivory  carver,  his 
technique,  267,  329 

Jensen,  mark  of,  195 

jews  compelled  by  Frederick 


the  Great  to  buy  porcelain, 
32 
Joachim,    Christian,     his     art 

faience,  322,  325 
JS  (incised)  as  a  mark,  103 
Juliane  Marie,  Dowager  Queen, 
patron  of  Miiller,  55 
Part    of,    in    overthrow    of 
Struensee,  48 
Juliane  Marie  porcelain  period 
Part  I  (1775-1780).  41-71 
Part  II  (1780-1796),  73-110 
Excellence  of  modelling  an 
ideal  for  modern  work,  268 
Juliane    Marie    style    revived, 

K   (incised)   as  a  mark,  .175 
Kalleberg,  G.,.  the  designer  of 

fine  subjects,  107,  118 
Handler    of    Meissen    and    his 

style,  126 
Kaolin,  definition  of,  22 
Keith,     Sir     Robert     Murray, 
British  Minister  at  Copen- 
hagen, 51 
Krog,  Arnold,  Art  Director  at 
Royal    Copenhagen    Fac- 
tory (from  1885),  210 
his  artistic  impulses,  213 
his     development     of     new 
style  in  underglaze  paint- 
ing, 214 
Traditional    ornament    dis- 
carded, 234 
Nature,    the    source    of    in- 
spiration, 215 
Signatures  of,  255 
Kronborg,  Castle  of,  painted  on 

a  cup,  192  / 

Kroyer,  Danish  painter,  i*)-/ 

L  as  a  mark   fip-i^-^.  n     r  - , 
(painted),  lo.s 


I 

1 
I 


INDEX 


355 


Landscape  subjects  painted  in  ! 
underglaze  colours,  237 

\.cm\  glaze  not  used  at  Copen- 
hagen. 340  j 

Lead-poisoning,  no  cases  at  1 
Copenhagen,  340  ' 

Lelimami,  Peter  Heinrich  Ben- 
jamin, 107 
Signature  of,  101 

Living    schools    of    u>.^w.>.l. 
art,  345 

Lost  arts,  the  technique  o.  , 
genius,  91  i 

Louis  XV  sends  a  Sevres  service  I 
to  Fredcrik  V  of  Denmark,  1 
3S  -  i 

Ludwigsberg  factorj',  31  : 

Lunbye,        Johan        Thomas, 
Danish  painter,  197  | 

Luplau,  comes  to  Copenhagen  : 
from  Fiirstenberg  factory,    j 

71.  105  t 

his  limitations,  117  ! 

Signature  of,  loi  • 
Lyngbe,  L.,  mark  of,  193 

M  (incised)  as  a  mark,   104   '    ' 
Madsen,        Professor        Karl,    i 

quoted,    105, 
Majolica,  old  masters  of,  317 
Mark  not  used  at  Copenhagen 

(1773-1775).  104 
Marks  (continental)  with  royal 

and  patrician  cyphers,  28   I 
(Copenhagen)     art     faience, 

330 
F.arly  blue-and-white  porce- 
lain, 174-6 
J-'ournier  period  (illustrated), 

30 
MuUer    period    (1775-1801), 

100-4 
Peculiarities    in    position  of 

(blue-and-white  porcelain), 

171 


Kenivissance  period,  used 
by  leading  painters  and 
modellers  (from  1885), 
255-62 

Similarity  between  early 
Copenhagen  and  Fiirsten- 
berg, 36 

Three  blue  lines,  origin  of 
the,  56 

0<'nglish)  imitation  of  Orien- 
tal,   Sevres,  and   Meissen, 
II,  281 
Mason's  ironstone  china,  310 
Meehl,  Hans,  mark  of,  104 
Meissen — 

Establishment  of  factory  at, 
29 

Figure  subjects  of,  compared 
with  Copenhagen,  77,   126 

Marks  copied  by  fenglish 
potters,  II,  281 

Porcelain,  authoritative  his- 
tory of,  29 

Secret  of,  divulged  and 
spread  throughout  Europe, 

30 
Workmen  and  materials  car- 
ried otl  by  Frederick  the 
Great  to  Berlin,  32 
Workmen  at  Copenhagen,  59 
Melhorn,  a  potter  from  Saxony, 
comes  to  Copenhagen,  36 
Meyer,  Elias,  109 

Panel  painted  by,  97 
Meyer,  M.,  109 
Mil     (incised)     as     a     mark, 

174 
ML  (incised)  as  a  mark,  174 
Modellers  and  painters,  Miiller 

period     (1773-1801),     list 

of,  105-10 
Modellers'  and  Painters'  Marks 

(early      blu  e-  and  -  white) , 

174-6 
(Renaissance  period),  255-62 


35C 


INDEX 


Modern  ephemeral   art   move- 
ments unheeded  at  Copen- 
hagen, 248 
Modern  equipment  of  Copen- 
hagen factory,  340 
Modern  Renaissance  at  Copen- 
hagen— 
Crystalline  glazes,  289-303 
Early  days,  201-19 
Figure  subjects,  263-88 
Golden  period,  219-54 
Moltke,  Count,  of  Bregentved, 
Fournier       porcelain       in 
collection  of    (illustrated), 

33 
Moore,    Mr.    Bernard,    his   ex- 
amples of  glazing,  292 
Moorish  potters,  arabesque  de- 
signs of,  318 
Miiller,  Frantz  Heinrich  (1773- 
1801)— 

Discontent  and  misery  con- 
temporary with  establish- 
ment of  his  factory,  39,  48 

his  secret  mission  to  other 
factories,  52,  84 

Portrait  of,  41 

Range  of  his  subjects  and 
order  of  their  production, 
68 

Recognition  of,  in  his  life- 
time, 64 

Scurvy  treatment  of,  at  fac- 
tory, 80,  83 

Statue  of  him  that  was  never 
erected,  64 

Successors    of     (1820- 1880), 

177-97 
Technique  of,  03,  h.\ 
Miiller  period,  the,  culminating 

point  of,  71 
Mussel-blue  painted,  the  great 

service,  172 
Mussel-blue     painted,     under- 

glaze,  the  suggestive  idea 


of  modern  developments, 
234 

Napoleonic  wars,  202 

National    character    of    early 

Copenhagen  porcelain,  130 

of  Japanese  ceramic  art,  247 

National  Museum  (Stockholm), 
Copenhagen  porcelain  at, 
38,  69,  115,  119 

National  sentiment  in  Miiller's 
designs,  95 
in  modern  Copenhagen  por- 
celain, 235,  246 

National  style  created  at  Co- 
penhagen, 84 

Nature,  Danish,  reflected  in 
modern  Copenhagen  por- 
celain, 252,  253,  339 

Nature-study  a  dominant  note 
at  Copenhagen,  150.  339 

Nelson,  Admiral  Lord- — 

Letters  to    Lady  Hamilton, 

187 
sends     Copenhagen      porce- 
lain   to    Lady    Hamilton, 
188 

Nicolaj,  Christian  Faxoe,  loS 

Numerals  (  i  -  7  ),  painters' 
marks  on  early  blue-and- 
white,  176  , 

Nymphenberg  factory,  30 

Oeder,  the  originator  of  the 
Floya  Danica,  149 

Old  Copenhagen  Factory  de- 
scribed by  contemporary 
eye-witnesses    (1790),    7O- 

^■\,  154 
Omar  Khayyam,  quoted,  96 
Ondrop  (1779-1787),  signatjire 

of.  102 
Oriental   prototypes   of   Euro- 
pean porcelain,   215,  237, 
281,  309 


N 


INDEX 


357 


Originality  at  Copenhagen  fac- 
tory,    its     avoidance     of 
ephemeral  art  movements, 
248 
of  stereotyped  styles,  234 

Outburst  of  activity  in   1780, 

75.  "3 
Overglaze   decoration,  modern 

revival  of  old  Copenliagen 

forms,  229 
Overglaze      paintei  s,      Aliiller 

period,  105-10 

Painters,  Muller  period  (1773- 
1818),  list  of,   105-10 

Painters'  and  Modellers'  Marks 
( early     blue  -  and  -  white) , 

174-^ 

Painters,  uiiderglaze,  early 
blue-and- white,  106,  no 

Pallas,  Dr.  P.  S.,  the  protege  oi 
Catherine  II  of  Russia,  153 

Paris  Exhibition  (i88g),  success 
of    Copenhagen    porcelain 
.     at,  220 
(1900),  223 

Pdte  dure  porcelain  of  Meissen 
and  allied  schools,   22 

Pdte  tendre  porcelain  of  Sevres 
and  allied  schools,  22,  24 

Peasant  life  a  feature  in  Copen- 
hagen figures.  273 

Peasant  types  and  contem- 
porary character  in  figure 
subjects,  130,  273 

Peacock,  figure  of  (Copenha- 
gen), compared  with  Derby 
porcelain  model,  287 

PecuUarities  in  marks  (blue- 
and-whitej,  171 

Persian  pottery,  318,  321  ' 

Petuntse,  definition  of,  22 

Placques,  heraldic  commemora- 
tive, 230.  243 

Poetrv    and    imagination,    ex- 


pression   of,     in     modern 
Copenhagen  work,  246 
Poetry  of  the  potter's  art,  the, 

95.  245 
Porcelain — 

First  made  in  Europe  (JBott- 
ger),  22,  29 

in  Denmark,  34 

Hard-paste,  schools  of,  21 

Semi-porcelain,    a    term     in 
EngHsh  cerami<;^s,  310 

Soft-paste,  schools  of,  21 
Portraits — 

Frederik,       Crown       Prince 
(vase),  49 

Juhane  Marie,  Queen  Dow- 
ager (vase),  45 

Muller,  Frantz  Keinrich,  41 
(cup),  69 

Rabener,  92 
Pott,  chemist  at  Berlin  factory, 

3r 
Potter,     Chinese,     the     poetic 

tenns  of  the,  245 
Preus,      Soren,    "  modeller      of 

flowers,  108 
Processes   at   old   Copenhagen 

factory  described,  G3,  76- 

80,  91 

Rarity  of  old  porcelain — 
Copenhagen  ( F  o  u  r  n  i  e  r 

period),  36 
Florence  (sixteenth  century), 

^3 

Renaissance,    modern,   Copen- 
hagen, 199-262 

Retail  depot  opened  at  Copen- 
hagen, 60,  113 

Revival  of  overglaze  painting, 
229 

Rhodian  pottery,  322 

Rhymes  and  mottoes  on  Copen- 
hagen porcelain,  99 
on  Staffordshire. pottery,  96 


358 


INDEX 


Kingler,  a  workman  at  Vienna, 
carries  the  secret  of  hard 
paste  far  arid  wide,  30 
Koscoe      and       Scljorlemmer, 
Treatise      on      Chemistry, 
quoted,  31 
Kosenborg  Castle — 
Flora     Danica     service     at, 

137-56 
Fournier  porcelain  at  (illus- 
trated). 25,  37 
Kousseau,  Jean  Jacques — 
his  influence  on  Struensee,  47 
his  naturalistic  theories.  141 
J<oyal    factory    established    at 
Copenhagen    by    Frederik 
V  (1760).  35 
Hoyal  patronage  of  potters — 
(in  general),  28 
(in   particular)    Copenhagen: 
Christian  VII.  104 
Frederik  V,  35 
Juliane    Marie   and    royal 
family    shareholders    in 
Miiller's  company.  56 
Crown  Prince  Frederik  and 
the  Flora  Danica  service, 
140 
Berlin :  Frederick  the  Great, 

32 
FUrstenberg :  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, 31 
Meissen:    Frederick   Augus- 
tus, Elector  of  Saxony, 
29 
acquires   porcelain    in  ex- 
change for  a  regiment  of 
dragoons,  32 
5/.      Petersburg  :      Emperor 
Paul.  28 
I'^mpress  Catherine  II,  ^i 
Empress     Ehzabeth     Pe- 
trowna,  31  \ 
Vienna :      Empress      Maria 
Theresa,  30 


St.  Cloud,  factory  (1(395-1773), 

21,  23 
Scandinavian     Diana     biscuit 
j  group  in  Sevres  porcelain, 

i  ^^^ 

Schleswig-Holstein,     war    con- 

'  cerning    the    duchies    of, 

i  fatal  to  Danish  art,  205 

]   Schmidt,  Jacob.  102 
j   Schou,      Phihp,      pioneer      of 
i  Modernity,  205 

Makes     a     Europiean     tour, 
visiting   factories  of   Hol- 
land,    Belgium.     France, 
and  England,  214 
Rebuilds    factory    at    Fred- 
I  criksberg — his  genius,  205 

The    triumph    of    his  Jore- 
:  sight,  213 

!        Copenhagen  porcelain  raised 
j  to  a  new  plane.  216 

:    Schou,  Philip,  comparison  be- 
j  tween,  and  Miiller.  210 

Schreiber.      Lady      Charlotte, 
letter  from  Francesco  An- 
tibon  to.  24 
Secret  of  hard-paste  porcelain 
spreads    throughout 
Europe,  30 
Secrets  of  craftsmen   not   de- 
pendent  on    scientific   ac- 
curacy, 67 
Semi-porcelain  peculiarly  Eng- 
lish, 310 
Sevres,    crystalline    glazes    at, 

301 
Sevres  factory,  date  when  hard 

paste  first  made  at,  24 
S6vres      factory,      marks      of, 
copied  by  English  potters, 
II,  281 
Sevres  porcelain,  its  spirit  re- 
flecting    northern     ideas, 
224 
Sevres    porcelain,    Louis    XV 


INDEX 


859 


scuds  present  of  sennce  to 
King  of  Denmark,   38 
Service  made  for  Catherine  1 1 
of  Russia,  139 
Sevres    styles    introduce 

Copenhagen,  ^j 
Shakesperian  subjects  (Coj^en 

hagen),  326 
Signatures   of  artists,  etc.,    in 
Copenhagen  porcelain — 
Ba^er,  103 
Clio,  loi 
Maid,  102 
Holm,  103 
Krqg,  253 
'  Lehinann,  lor 
Liisberg,  256 
Luplau,  10 1 
Meehl,  104 
Ondrup,  102 
Schmidt,  103 
Skovgaad,      Peter      Christian, 

Danish  painter,  197 
Soft-paste  porcelain,  definition 
of,  23 
English,  27 

When  made  at  Copenhagen, 
36 
Soreh  Preus,  loS 
Sciroe,   view  of,   painted  on  a 

cup,  195 
Spiritual      outlook,      the,      of 

modem  Copenhagen,  252 
Staffordshire    figures    stwpped 

of  their  pigment,  266 
Staffordshire  potters'  fondness 

for  rhymes,  9^3 
Stockholm,  National  Museum, 
specimens  of  porcelain  at, 
3b,  69,  115,  119 
Fournier  period,  38 
Juliane  Marie  period,  69,  119 
Struensee,  John  Frederick,  his 
fatal     influence     at      the 
Court  of  Christian  VII,  .] ; 


his     overthrow     by    Queen 

Juliane  Marie.  48 
his  execution,  51 
Styles   which    modern   Copen- 
hagen wisely  avoided,  234 
Mihicct,    tl^e  apt   choice   of   a 
iiting,  the  truest  test  of 
1  iie    highest    cei-amic    art, 
238 
Successors  of  Miiller,  177-97 
Supernatural,   the,    untouched 
by  Copenhagen,  253 

T  (incised)  as  a  mark,   175 

Table  of  leading  painters  and 
modellers,  Miiller  period 
(1773-1810),  105-10 

Table  of  Marks,  Miiller  period 
(1775-1810),  100-4 

Table  of  Marks,  old  blue-and- 
white  porcelain,  174-6 

Tables  of  Marks,  painters  and 
modellers  of  Renaissance 
period  from  1885,  255-62 

Technique — 

Copenhagen  art  faience,  317, 

325 

Copenhagen  porcelain  (mod- 
ern) imitated  by  many 
factories,  229,  247 

Copenhagen  porcelain  (old), 
processes  described,  6^, 
268 

(Miiller  period)  its  triumph 
with  primitive  methods 
and  impure  materials.  67, 
88,  91 

English  porcelain,  310 

Figure  subjects,  the  limita- 
tions of  the  potter  obeyed , 
267 

ModelUng  and  its  especial, 
266,  267 

^lodern  schools  of  potters, 
-'">,  -'17 


360 


JXDEX 


Underglaze  decorated  porce- 
lain, 236.  237 
TTnderglaze      painter,      true 
ideal  in,  214,  234,  242 
Thomaschefsky,  Carl  Freidrich, 

no 
Thorvaldsen,  figures  after  sculp- 
ture of,  196 
Three  blue  lines  (Copenhagen 

mark),  origin  of,  56 
TI  (incised)  as  a  mark,   170 
Times  (1801),  quoted,  183 
Toby    jugs    stripped    of    their 

pigment,  266 
Transmutation  glazes,  291,  301- 
Tschirnhaus,  Ehrenfried  Walter 

von,  29 
Tuscany,  Grand  Duke  of,   pa- 
tron of  Florence   factory, 

Tvede  Claus,  modeller,  105 

Underglaze  painted,  early  blue- 
and-white,  137-76 

Underglaze  painting,  new  tech- 
nique created,  214,  234, 
242 

Underglaze  painting  succeeds 
overglaze  painting  in 
figure  subjects,  268 

Unmarked  Copenhagen  porce- 
lain (i'773-i775).  42,  56 

Verses  on  Copenhagen  porce- 
lain, 87,  99 
Vincennes  factory  (1740),  23 
Voltaire,  letter  to  Catherine  II 
of  Russia,  143 


W2  (incised)  as  a  mark,  176 

Wedgwood  exhibition,  the,  by 
JNIessrs.  Josiah  Wedgwood 
&  Sons,  London,  1909  (in- 
cluding service  made  for 
Catherine  II,  Empress  of 
Russia),  140 

Wedgwood,  his  introduction  of 
classicism    into    Stafford-' 
shire,  192,  278 
his  jasper  ware,  its  classifica- 
tion, 310 

Wedgwood  service  made  for 
Catherine  II  of  Russia,  140 

Wedgwood  workmen  apply  in 
vain  at  Copenhagen,  122 

Wiedewelt,  the  sculptor,  assists 
Fournier,  36 

Wilkins.   W.    H.,   A    Queen   of 
Tears.     History   of   Caro- 
line    Matilda,     Queen     of 
Denmark,  47 
i  Winthcr,     -Christian,     quoted, 
I  251 

Worcester,  its  Oriental  proto- 
types, 215,  237,  281 
I  Workmen,   foreign,   at  Copen- 
hagen,   59,    60,    83,    121, 
122 

Workmen,  foreign.  English 
artisans  from  Wedgwood's 
factory  apply  in  vain  at, 
Copenhagen,  122 


Zimmermann,  Professor  Ernst 

(Meissen  porcelain),  29 
Zurich  factory,  31 


P)  in  If  J  ill  Great  Biilaiit  by 
L'S\VI\     BROIMFRS.    I.JAinKD.  THK   f;RE;3HAM   PRKSS.  WOriVC   AND  lONPOK 


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