Royal Copenhagen

Founded in 1775 under royal protection with Queen Juliane Marie's patronage, Royal Copenhagen has made porcelain for two and a half centuries; its three wavy lines, marking Denmark's three straits, appear under every piece. The manufactory's canon spans from Blue Fluted — the cobalt lace pattern painted by hand since the founding year, each piece signed with its painter's mark — to Flora Danica, the botanical service begun in 1790 for Catherine the Great and still painted from the great flora atlas, among the most expensive dinnerware ever made. The Amagertorv flagship on Strøget, in a Renaissance house, displays the range from everyday Blue Fluted Mega to museum-grade commissions. Watch for the painters' initials under each piece — the human hand is the entire point. A Blue Fluted cup is the accessible heirloom; Flora Danica the aspiration.

Turn every piece over for the painter's initials beside the three waves, and visit during the Christmas tables exhibition if the season allows — a Copenhagen institution.