Bing & Grøndahl was founded on April 15 1853 by Grøndahl, who was a figurine maker for the Royal Danish Porcelain Factory, and the Bing brothers, who were art and book dealers. The factory was located outside the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Grøndahl initially began the company to produce bisque figurines modeled on the neoclassical sculptures of Thorvaldsen and became famous for it's detailed models of animals, figurines and christmas plates.<br /> <br /> In 1895, Bing & Grøndahl created the first in their series of Christmas plates. Designed with a traditional winter scene in cobalt blue and white, the plates have been released annually for more than 100 years. <br /> <br /> Today, Bing and Grondahl porcelain is prized by collectors all over the world.<br /> <br /> In 1987 the company merged with its primary competitor, the Royal Porcelain Factory under the name Royal Copenhagen.