Royal Copenhagen

Royal Copenhagen is a famous maker of porcelain in Denmark.  The company was started in 1775 and Royal Copenhagen porcelain is a traditional and iconic Danish product.  I thought it would be nice to have a piece of my own.  Our apartment came equipped with this beautiful Royal Copenhagen jug.  I use it as a flower vase.  I was shocked to discover that it sells for about $145!

Blue Fluted Mega Jug

I thought that perhaps a mug would be more in my price range.  Boy, was I surprised to find that a little mug sells for about $120!

Pricey Cup o' Joe

I discovered that the Royal Copenhagen Flagship Store on the Strøget offers painting classes where you can paint your own Royal Copenhagen cup or plate for about $70.  The class comes with coffee, so I figured it was worth it!  The class took place in this gorgeous building.

Royal Copenhagen Flagship Store

Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that the class was taught entirely in Danish.  Luckily, one of my classmates was coaxed into interpreting for me.  Here she is.  Sorry it's blurry.

My Bilingual Classmate 

The class was held in a gorgeous workshop upstairs from the store.  We had a full class of 15 students.

Pottery-Painting Pals 

We were given a model cup (to copy) and a raw porcelain cup (to paint).  The raw porcelain cup had the pattern pre-stamped on it.    We were also given some brushes and a dab of the Royal Copenhagen Blue paint.  We were to trace and paint the pattern.  Theoretically my cup should look exactly like the model when it's done. 

Art Supplies

Our instructor showed us how it's done.  It's really hard!  Straight lines come out all wiggly because the cup is fluted.  I got the hang of it though!  Royal Copenhagen painters are called Blue Painters.  I've heard that they can identify pottery that they have painted mixed among the work of other blue painters.

My Instructor is a Blue Painter

Believe it or not, after my cup (the one on the right) is done, it will be the same size as the cup on the left!

Shrink Me

Here's me at work.  The class was a lot of fun.  I made some mistakes because I couldn't understand the instructor's Danish.  But I think I did okay.  They gave us a tool that looked like a really sharp flathead screwdriver to erase (scratch away) our mistakes.

Something New

The light blue blotches came with the cup.  I was told that they would disappear once the cup is fired. 

All Done!

According to the Royal Copenhagen website,"All blue-painters put their own signature on the back of each and every porcelain item painted. Here these individual signatures join the three Royal Copenhagen waves, which represent the three Danish straits: the Oresund, the Great Belt and the Little Belt."

My Cup Will Have the Royal Copenhagen Seal

At the end of the class, we put our cards in, and mugs will be shipped to the porcelain factory for firing.  I should be able to pick mine up from the store in a couple of weeks!

Ready for Firing

Downstairs from the Royal Copenhagen store is the Royal Smushi Cafe.  Here, you can get dainty treats with coffee or tea.   They serve everything on Royal Copenhagen porcelain!

Royal Smushi Cafe

I'll post a picture of the finished mug here once I get it back!

På gensyn!

UPDATE!  I just picked up my cup!  It's gorgeous!  The guy who helped me said that I could be a Blue Painter!