Stalk by stalk, petal by petal, each flower is created carefully by skilled hands.

Flowers are not only painted onto Flora Danica, but they are also modelled, appearing as lifelike and three-dimensional ornaments on the porcelain. Stalk by stalk, petal by petal, each flower is carefully made by skilled hands. The modelers use olive oil to keep the porcelain smooth and then arranged into posies of flowers that decorate the lids and handles of Flora Danica pieces. From generation to generation, the art of modelling is passed on from the master to novice, keeping unique techniques and skills alive for centuries. 

The pieces are fired at 950 degrees.

When the holes are carved, the handles casted and the flowers and leaves modelled, the porcelain is fired at 950 degrees. The first firing is called the ‘biscuit firing’, because it leaves the porcelain porous and easy to break. After the firing, the porcelain is either dipped in a large vats of glaze or glazed by hand with an airbrush. The glazing is followed by a second firing at 1,375 degrees, turning the porous biscuit into hard, white, gleaming porcelain. This seals the art piece so it will last for a lifetime. During the firing, the porcelain shrinks approximately 14%.

The painter begins her work by sketching on the white glaze porcelain with a pencil.

The painter begins her work by sketching on the white glazed porcelain with a pencil. She has the original flower motif in front of her as a reference, but there is plenty of artistic freedom in her creation. When she is satisfied with the freehand drawing, she outlines it with an old-fashioned pen in a special purple-grey colour. Once the outline colour is dry, the first stage of colouring can begin, and the painter starts at the light end of the colour scale. The porcelain then goes off for the third firing. The process is repeated until all nuances, reactions and colour variations are just right.

The 24-carat gold is painted on the porcelain in two steps – with a firing after each one.

The characteristic, 24-carat gold rim of Flora Danica is painted onto the porcelain in two steps, each followed by a firing. In liquid form, the gold paint is dark brown, but when it has been fired and polished, it magically transforms into sparkling gold. The pearl border on Flora Danica is one of the remnants of the original Flora Danica dinner service from 1783, taking its name from the line of small dots along the border that look like pearls on a string.

On the back side of each product you find the Latin name of the plant that adorns the piece written in black.

On the underside of each piece of Flora Danica porcelain, you will find the Latin name of the plant illustrated on the porcelain. You will also find the gold painter’s initials written in green and the flower painter’s initials written in light purple. Royal Copenhagen’s trademark, the three waves, are carefully placed in the middle.