Bing & Grøndahl Christmas Plate 1956 The City's Christmas Kjeld Bonfils

Bing & Grøndahl Christmas plate 1956 with the title The City's Christmas captures a special side of the Danish Christmas: the busy, expectant atmosphere in the city's streets, where the darkness is lit up by Christmas decorations and people's activities. The motif shows a dense city scene with buses, cars and pedestrians under garlands with stars and bells, and it is precisely that contrast between everyday traffic and Christmas decorations that makes this edition both lively and recognizable.

The City's Christmas does not tell of the quiet Christmas in the countryside, but of December in the big city, where shops, transport and people merge in an atmospheric moment. On the plate, the street is seen as a space full of movement: people stand along the sidewalks, an adult and a child carry packages, and the light from the decorations creates a festive lift in the winter darkness. It is a fine snapshot of its time from 1956, when Christmas preparations still had a very physical weight in city life, and when shopping trips, traffic and anticipation were a natural part of the holiday.

This year's motif is drawn by Kjeld Bonfils, who here manages to gather both narrative, atmosphere and city life in the classic blue-and-white Bing & Grøndahl style. The hanging bells and stars give the motif an almost theatrical ceiling over the street, while the figures in the foreground add presence and humanity. This makes the plate interesting both for collectors of Danish Christmas plates and for those who are fond of porcelain with history and cultural storytelling.

Bing & Grøndahl's Christmas plate series began in 1895 and was the world's first Christmas plate series. Since then, a new plate has been issued every year, and each edition was produced in a limited number. After the year's final firing, the mold was destroyed, so that the edition in question could not later be put into production again. This is an important part of the explanation for why the individual editions continue to arouse interest among collectors.

This Christmas plate can be hung up as part of a wall with Danish Christmas art, but it can also be used all year round as a smaller plate, for example for cake or dessert. In December, it also adds a classic blue Christmas atmosphere to the table with motif and history that create conversations when serving. Older porcelain like this is also a beautiful way to choose quality with history and give fine craftsmanship new life in a modern home.

Product information:
Manufacturer: Bing & Grøndahl
Designer: Kjeld Bonfils
Series: Christmas plates
Edition: 1956
Title: The City's Christmas
Dimensions: Ø 18 cm
Hanging: Two holes on the back for hanging