Pair of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica Porcelain Fruit Baskets

18075Y: Pair of Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica Porcelain Fruit Baskets
Danish, 20th Century
Height 8cm, width 26cm, depth 19cm

This charming pair of Royal Copenhagen porcelain fruit baskets from the celebrated Flora Danica service is of oval form, the reticulated sides, applied floral ornament and gilt detailing throughout combining elegance with exceptional decorative presence.
Each basket is modelled with pierced lattice sides adorned with naturalistically modelled flowers in pink, blue, yellow and purple, their stems and leaves rendered in fresh greens against the crisp white porcelain ground. Gilded bead borders enrich the upper rim and base, while gilt dot-and-panel decoration highlights the reticulated sides with refined restraint. The handles are formed as twisting branches, naturalistically modelled in shades of brown and green, lending an appealing organic quality to the design.
The Flora Danica service has been celebrated since its inception in the late 18th century, when it was originally conceived as a gift for Catherine the Great of Russia. Each piece is hand-painted with a different botanical specimen drawn from the great illustrated survey of Scandinavian plant life of the same name.
The bases are inscribed ‘Pyrola groenlandica Horn’, identifying the botanical specimen depicted, and bear the Royal Copenhagen crowned mark, three blue wavy lines, model numbers and factory marks, confirming production at the celebrated Copenhagen manufactory.
$ 33,000