Bing & Grondahl ceramics are heralded as one of the finest in the world. Little known in Australia they were the direct competitor to Royal Copenhagen Porcelain. The company was begun with a partnership between Grondahl, a figurine maker for Royal Copenhagen and the Bing brothers, Danish art and book dealers. The factory was set up in Vesterbro which at that time was outside the city of Copenhagen. The mark of the factory was the three towers of Copenhagen which incidently was also used as a hallmark on silver. Initially it was Grondahl's idea to produce bisque figurines based on the sculpture of Bertel Thorvaldsen. However the factory was soon producing high quality dinnerwares rivalling Royal Copenhagen. The most famous of all was the seagull dinner series designed in 1892 by Fanny Garde. Due to its popularity it became known as the National Dinner Service of Denmark. It featured flying seagulls against a pale blue background with detail of seahorse handles, sea shell finials and for want of a better description, what I call regency dolphin detailing. The edges were decorated in shaded patterns of scales. The basic shape of the design then became the canvas for a variety of different patterns.
Bing & Grondahl also produced the first annual Danish Christmas plate in 1895. It was in cobalt blue and white and the series quickly became highly sought after by collectors. Royal Copenhagen followed with their own version.
Stoneware and Art Pottery were introduced with the factory employing many high profile designers and artists. These pieces are collectable and keenly sought today.
In 1987 Bing and Grondahl merged with Royal Copenhagen.
