Flora Danica luncheon plate with pierced edge, "Ranunculus bulbosus", dated 1963
In 1790 the Danish Crown Prince Frederik ordered a dinner set as a gift for Russian Empress Catherine II. The set was to be hand painted, decorated with exact copies of the plates of Flora Danica, a comprehensive botanical encyclopedia containing pictures of all the wild plants native to Denmark in the period from 1761-1883. However Catherine died in 1796 and never received the gift. The set is considered a national treasure and one of the world’s most prestigious and luxurious porcelain collections. It is still in use for state occasions and is currently on display at Christiansborg Palace, Amalienborg Palace and Rosenborg Castle. Copies of the set are still sold by Royal Copenhagen Porcelain, maintaining the same standard centuries later.
Size: 9 diameter in
E19672