The Nightingale - 1984 Desiree Hans Christian Andersen Christmas plate, cake plate

The motif of this 1984 Desiree Christmas plate from the Porcelain Factory Desiree, also known as Désirée Denmark, Svend Jensen of Denmark, Old Copenhagen Blue is found in the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale The Nightingale. The fairytale named "The Nightingale" by Hans Christian Andersen has been the inspiration for the 1984 Christmas plate. The small nightingale lives in some branches in trees along the seacoast of China. Every night, when the poor fisherman is sitting in his dinghy and is working with his net, he has to take a break and listen to the song from The Nightingale. Because of its song The Nightingale becomes famous and the emperor wants to hear it sing. Even through the emperor wants The Nightingale to stay it will not leave the branches over the sea. The artist behind this Christmas plate was Sven Otto S. Désirée started the Christmas plate series in 1970 and ended it in 2002. All motifs of the Hans Christian Andersen Christmas plates from Désirée were inspired by Hans Christian Andersen´s Fairy Tales