The Porcelain Factory Désirée - Svend Jensen - Old Copenhagen Blue

The porcelain factory Désirée, also called Old Copenhagen Blue and Svend Jensen abroad, was once among the best porcelain manufacturers in Denmark. The Désirée name has been used in different contexts over the years and was perhaps best known by the labels of the tableware series they produced.

Popular dinnerware by Désirée

The logo of Désirée Denmark
Svend Jensen
Old Copenhagen Blue

Amongst the dinnerware which was produced by Désirée was Selandia. Selandia was the first dinnerware the porcelain factory Désirée made​​. Later, when it became popular to make stoneware and more robust dinnerware, came the series Thule, Diskos, Vesterhav and Jutlandia to be included in the range. Since the porcelain factory became more successful in the 1970s, 80s and 90s several popular dinnerware such as Polar, Mistletoe, Springtime and Scandinavia were introduced. All decorated and hand painted using the underglaze technique.

Brief history behind Désirée

The porcelain factory Désirée was founded by HC Torbøl in 1964. Before that H.C. Torbøl was director of the porcelain factory Bing & Grondahl and the porcelain factory Norden. Both companies were located in Copenhagen, it was then a completely different atmosphere in and around the porcelain factory Désirée which was established just outside the city of Ringsted. In the old village called Benløse, Désirée flourished up on the basis of beautiful designs, deep blue detailed illustrations executed in magnificent underglaze decorations and solid craftsmanship.

Plates inspired by children and the young at heart

Désirée really started to produce porcelain in 1970, when they presented their first editions of a Désirée Mother's Day and Désirée Hans Christian Andersen Christmas plate. Where the Mother's-Day-plates by Désirée obviously picked up inspiration for the motifs from the mind's and imagination of children, the world famous Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen and his fairy tales were the creative source for the illustrations on the Désirée Christmas plates.

The Mother's Day plates are still very decorative
- on the wall or on the table

Several of Denmarks best artists were behind the many fascinating motifs for the annual Désirée plates, cups and saucers. Maggi Båring, Nulle Øigaard, Mads Stage, Svend Otto S. and Lis Torbøl should be mentioned among the most prominent artists. The latter was particularly helpful to build up the popularity of Désirée, with her husband Knud Torbøl, who took over the company in the mid-1970s.

A total of 25 plates were made for Mother's Day until 1994 and all together 33 Désirée Christmas plates. The last Christmas plate by Désirée is from 2002.

Click here to see all the beautiful parts of Désirée's porcelain production at DPH Trading's webshop.

See pictures from the porcelain production at the factory and read more about Désirée's history here.