Lot 20 | Royal Copenhagen | LARGE ICE BELL WITH STAND FROM THE 'FLORA DANICA' SERVICE

LARGE ICE BELL WITH STAND FROM THE 'FLORA DANICA' SERVICE.

Royal Copenhagen.
Date: Moulding 20th cent.
Maker/Designer: Model J. C. Bayer.
Technique: Porcelain, enriched in colours and goldt.
Description: Stand with jagged rim and pink decor. The pierced sides crowned by a roof of unevenly formed leaves. The handle is worked as a full plastic violet tulip. On the side four medaillons with botanic plant depictions. On the interior od the bell the Latin names of the depicted plant motifs
.
Measurement: Height of the bell 27cm, ø stand 32cm.
Mark: Manufakture mark in green. Scalloped mark, painted blue under the glaze.

Provenance:
- Private collection Cologne.

The ice bell with stand is one of the most opulent and most expensive models of the famous Flora Danica service and represents an intersting unique object in the context of fine dining culture in the 18th century. No other model of another manufacturer is known, thus it can be assumed that it is an invention of the Danish parcelain maker at Royal Copenhagen. Due to the model inscription it is not rarely assumed that the bell was a service bowl for icecream or other desserts. However, this was not the case: the dome was supposed to cover an ice block that cooled down the table guests by vaporization. It was, so to say, an early air conditioner at festive banquets.