Collecting Many of the firms that produce Europe's finest ceramics derive their names from the continent's artistic pioneers. Among the contemporary ceramics favored by collectors are those bearing names such as Staffordshire, Wedgwood, Delft, Capo-di-Monte, Bing and Grondahl, Kahler, Sevres, Faience, Hjort, Gustafsberg, Rorstrand, and Gafle.

Another maker, the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory (one of our favorites) is also extremely popular with American collectors. Though its plant is large and employs more than a thousand workers, every piece that leaves the plant is truly exquisite. "Royal Cope," as collectors call it, is renowned for its models, in biscuit china, of the great Danish sculptor Thorvaldsen's works.

"Royal Cope" is widely distributed in the United States, and its smaller items are moderately priced. The best place to shop for it is, of course, in Copenhagen. However, if you can't get to Denmark, but like to do your bargain shopping away from home, the places to buy it are Aruba or Curasao, where it costs just about one-half the usual retail price in the United States.

Enduring favorites of collectors are the Hummel figures, cheerful little replicas of fairy-tale characters from a Hans Christian Andersen duckling to the lovable goatboy, Peter, of the wistful children's classic, Heidi.




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July 25, 2008