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It is said that is was commissioned by the Danish King, Christian VII, who wanted a porcelain service so beautiful and rare that it would gain a place among the Russian Empress Catherine II’s large porcelain collection. But then the Empress died in 1796 before the great work was finished. The service therefore remained with the Royal Danish Household and today belongs to H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
60 years went by before yet another Flora Danica Service was made at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory. The occasion was the Danish Princess Alexandra’s wedding to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England. The service was to be a wedding present from Danish women to their Princess. This service is today part of the English Queen Elisabeth II’s collection at Windsor castle.
Pictured right: A Flora Danica Ice Dome.
First the modeller cuts out edges and patterns in the still wet and malleable porcelain mass. The modeller needs a steady hand – one wrong cut and the work has do be rejected. Next leaves, stems and flower buds are attached by hand and the Ice Dome is ready for its first firing in the porcelain kiln. Then the glaze is put on and the Ice Dome is fired once more. Between each process the work is carefully controlled so only the perfect ones go through. Now the porcelain painter paints, free hand, the flower motifs on the Dome. After each colour it is fired before the next colour or nuances can be painted. On the work table in front of her/him the porcelain painter has one of the old copper-prints. The plant’s Latin name is written on the bottom of the Dome next to the painter’s initials. Do the Craftsmen’s Traditions have a Future? It is considerations such as these which lie behind Royal Copenhagen’s
philosophy. Danish decorative art industry places great demands
on both design and production. The prerequisite is that the craftsmen’s
traditions are projected and protected, and that the know-how
is kept at a high level. Visit the World Collectors Net Royal
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Of
all the magnificent services from the 18th century, the Flora
Danica porcelain service is the only one still in production.
This magnificent service was created in what has since been named
the Golden Age of porcelain. Today it is still considered one
of the world´s most luxurious services. 
Pictured
left: A Flora Danica serving bowl.
Pictured
right: An artist painting the Flora Danica design.
Thus
the porcelain’s decoration became detailed botanical studies.
Then as now without an equal. To this day the decorations are
hand-painted from the old copper-prints which lie on the porcelain
painter’s table just as they did 200 years ago. 
Of
the original 1802 pieces of Flora Danica porcelain 1530 still
exists. HM Queen Margrethe II still uses part of the 200 years
old service on special occasions. 
The
answer can probably be found in the combination of cultural heritage
and quality which has always been a distinguishing feature of
Flora Danica. Take for example the production of one item, the
28 cm tall so-called Ice Dome, which, as far as we know, is only
made by Royal Copenhagen. It involves 16 different processesand
it takes a month to complete an Ice Dome. 