The essence of Christmas
Bing & Groendahl's Christmas plates have become a tradition and a beloved part of many Danes' Christmas. Each Christmas plate from Bing & Groendahl tells its own story and captures a moment in the magic of Christmas time. The motifs on Bing & Groendahl's Christmas plates range widely and include both nature, Christmas symbols, and scenes from Danish culture and history. You can find motifs such as snow-covered landscapes, idyllic farms, beautiful Christmas trees, carolers, angels, elves, and much more. Every detail is carefully crafted and painted to create an authentic and beautiful expression.
Several of Bing & Groendahl's Christmas plates also show Danish churches, where many people gather on Christmas Eve. Although churches in Denmark today are far from being used to the same extent as they were some years ago, the church remains a beloved gathering place for families on Christmas Eve. It is here that many families start their Christmas Eve and truly let the calm settle in while we listen to the tones of beautiful carols accompanied by lovely organ music.
Christmas is a family celebration, and at this time we remember to be there for each other. The same goes for our care for animals, who traditionally receive a little extra treats during the Christmas season. - Bing & Groendahl has depicted both wild animals of the forest and people's pets on several of their Christmas plates, where the animals benefit from our extra care.
The classic blue Christmas plates from Bing & Groendahl are still being produced today and are released together with Royal Copenhagen's annual Blue Collectibles collections.
The story of Bing & Groendahl Christmas plates
The porcelain factory Bing & Groendahl released the world's first Christmas plate in 1895, an idea that came from Harald Bing, who wanted to develop a series with Danish Christmas scenarios. The Christmas plate, titled "Behind the Frozen Window," was designed by F. A. Hallin. The plate was only produced in 400 copies, and subsequently the molds were destroyed. This makes the plate extremely rare and sought after today.
After the introduction of the first Christmas plate, Bing & Grøndahl continued the tradition of releasing a new Christmas plate every year. Each plate had a unique motif, typically featuring a Christmas or winter-related scene.
For example, on the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate from 1920, you can see two hares in the forest looking for grain in the snowy forest floor. On the B&G Christmas plate from 1921, two doves are seen searching for food. In Peter Faber's famous Christmas song "Sikken voldsom trængsel og alarm," there is a story about a chained dog that gets double food - this scenario has been depicted on the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate from 1915, and on the Christmas plate from 1941, two horses are seen in the lovely, warm stable happily munching on their large portion of hay.
Unfortunately, Bing & Groendahl closed in 1987, and the production of the Christmas plates was taken over by Royal Copenhagen, who still continues the tradition of releasing annual Christmas plates under the Bing & Groendahl name to this day. Bing & Groendahl's Christmas plates are famous all over the world and are an important representative of Denmark as the motifs on the plates show a wide range of our proud landmarks.
How can the Christmas plates be used today?
The Christmas plates from Bing & Groendahl are not just decorative pieces of porcelain. The beautiful blue plates can actually be used for many things!
In addition to being hung on the wall in beautiful patterns and combinations with other plates, Bing & Groendahl Christmas plates are also perfect for creating a festive atmosphere on the table. - Because you can actually eat off of them!
Serve Christmas treats, appetizers, desserts and other delicacies on the Christmas plates, and let the beautiful motifs slowly emerge as the food is eaten. It is completely safe to eat off the blue Bing & Groendahl Christmas plates, as they are made with underglaze technique. This technique also allows you to put your plates in the dishwasher after use!
You can also consider using the beautiful plates to create a unique cake stand. At DPH – Danish Porcelain House, we offer the opportunity to have holes drilled in your plates so you can create a beautiful cake stand or tiered tray, which you can use to serve everything from sushi and tapas to cake and fruit. You can also find both finish-made cake stands and accessories for cake stands, as well as plates you can buy if you don't already have any or need one or two more.
Many people still collect Bing & Groendahl plates because of their historical, cultural, and sentimental value. This also makes them great gift ideas that can be appreciated for many years to come!
Overview of the different designers of B&G Christmas plates:
Frederik August Hallin has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1895, 1896 and 1897.
Fanny Garde has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1898.
Dahl Jensen (Jens Peter Dahl Jensen) has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1899, 1900, 1902, 1905, 1906 and 1915.
S. Sabra has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1901.
Margrethe Hyldahl has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1903, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951.
Cathinka Olsen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1904.
E. Plockross has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1907.
Poul Jørgensen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1908.
Aarestrup has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1909.
C. Ersgaard has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1910.
Harald Moltke has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1911.
Einar Hansen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1912.
Th. Larsen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1913 and 1914.
J. Block Jørgensen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1916.
Achton Friis has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1931.
H. Flügenring has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1930, 1932 and 1933.
Immanuel Tjerne has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1934, 1938 and 1939.
Ove Larsen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945.
Børge Pramvig has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1952 and 1954.
Kjeld Bonfils has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1962.
Henry Thelander has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.
Edvard Jensen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Jørgen Nielsen has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Dag Samsund has designed the Bing & Groendahl Christmas plate for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
What Christmas plates are valuable?
The heyday of plates has an impact on their value. This is also the case for Bing & Groendahl Christmas plates. From around 1965 to the mid-90s, the Christmas plates are very popular and therefore produced in large quantities to meet the demand of customers who bought a new Christmas plate every year. This also means that there is not quite the same demand for these plates and therefore you should not expect a higher amount if you want to sell them.
When it comes to Bing & Groendahl Christmas plates, it is especially the first Christmas plates that are valuable. This is because they are rarer, as a smaller number were produced and many have been lost over time.
Are you interested in selling your Bing & Gröndahl Christmas plates?
What Bing & Groendahl Christmas plates are there?
In addition to the annual Christmas plate, Bing & Groendahl has also launched other beautiful Christmas plate series.
Bing & Groendahl extra large Christmas plates
The Christmas plates were Bing & Groendahl's first alternative Christmas plates that were produced. The Christmas plates were made between 1908 and 1911, so there are only 4 in total. They stand out because of their size, as they are 33 cm in diameter and are therefore actual plates that fit perfectly with the Christmas plates if you choose to use them as plates on the table. That way, you can get a beautiful set with the plate.
The Christmas plates do not share a design with the plate from the same year.
Bing & Groendahl 5 years Jubilee Christmas Plates
20 years after the release of the first Christmas plate, Bing & Groendahl released the first anniversary plate in celebration of the 20th anniversary. These anniversary Christmas plates have since been released every five years, with the last one being released in 2015. The anniversary Christmas plates all have a diameter of 23 cm compared to the regular 15 cm.
The anniversary Christmas plates do not share a design with the current year's Christmas plate, but the design is always chosen from previous Christmas plates, so it is possible to get an anniversary plate and a Christmas plate with a matching design.
Bing & Groendahl Santa Claus plates
Hans Henrik Hansen, who is also behind Royal Copenhagen's Christmas plate series Christmas in Denmark and Hearts of Christmas, has also created a similar series for Bing & Groendahl. This series is called Santa Claus and ran from 1989 to 2000.
The series actually consists of two. The first from 1989 to 1994 and the second from 1995 to 2000. The first is simply called Santa Claus and the second Santa Claus on a Journey. The design on the edge of the plate changes in the two series. In the first, a wreath of fir branches is shown, while in the second, gold leaf with red ribbons decorates the plate.
In the first series, we follow Santa Claus' activities from the production of gifts to reading the list, traveling in the sleigh, descending the chimney, delivering presents, and finally reading stories to the gathered children.
In the second series, we follow Santa Claus on a journey to various countries. We start in Greenland, where he rides on a polar bear, then he is on an elephant in the Orient, dances with a bear on Red Square in Moscow, is with a kangaroo in Australia, floats in a hot air balloon over Paris, and finally sails to New York.
Bing & Groendahl Snow Fairy plates
The Snow Fairy plates was a series of Christmas plates released between 2001 and 2005. The series shows how snow elves celebrate Christmas in the moonlight. Everything is kept in a wintry style with a dark background that highlights the elves' bright blue and white colors. As a contrast, there are also gold edges here and there to highlight the motifs.
The Snow Fairy series is designed by Kirsten Seeberg.
Also see:
We are e-approved