Arnold Krog
Arnold Krog (18 March 1856 - 7 June 1931) was a Danish architect, painter and designer who is remembered for his achievements as artistic director of Royal Copenhagen from 1884 to 1916. He revived the company after a period of decline, moving away from the stiff Empire style of previous decades in favour of a more Impressionist style which combined underglaze painting techniques with inspiration from Japanese imagery and European naturalism. He designed the Polar Bear Fountain for the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Arnold Krog

RomanDeckert · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Arnold Krog
- Born
- 18 March 1856
- Birthplace
- Frederiksværk, Denmark
- Died
- 7 June 1931
- Place of death
- Tisvildeleje, Denmark
- Education
- Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
- Known for
- Royal Copenhagen (1774-1916)
- Occupation
- Porcelain designer
- Nationality
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Teachers
- Christian Vilhelm Nielsen · Ferdinand Meldahl · Heinrich Hansen
- Honours
- Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog · Professor
- Languages
- Danish
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Documentary summary
Arnold Krog (18 March 1856 - 7 June 1931) was a Danish architect, painter and designer who is remembered for his achievements as artistic director of Royal Copenhagen from 1884 to 1916. He revived the company after a period of decline, moving away from the stiff Empire style of previous decades in favour of a more Impressionist style which combined underglaze painting techniques with inspiration from Japanese imagery and European naturalism. He designed the Polar Bear Fountain for the Peace Palace in The Hague.
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wikidata · Q1252464 · wikipedia · Arnold Krog
In this article
Biography
Biography
He has also designed furniture and silverware and took up landscape painting after his retirement from the porcelain factory in 1916.
Arnold Krog studied at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Training under Christian Vilhelm Nielsen, Ferdinand Meldahl and Heinrich Hansen is recorded. Bertha Nathanielsen, Jenny Meyer and Thorkild Olsen are recorded as having studied under Arnold Krog. The recorded working language is Danish. Work by Arnold Krog is recorded in the collections of Nationalmuseum, Design Museum Gent and National Gallery of Victoria. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog and Professor.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Arnold Krog • Born — 18 March 1856 • Birthplace — Frederiksværk, Denmark • Died — 7 June 1931 • Place of death — Tisvildeleje, Denmark • Education — Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts • Known for — Royal Copenhagen (1774-1916) • Occupation — Porcelain designer
Early life and education
Early life and education
• Illustration — Self-portrait by Arnold Krog Krog was born in Frederiksværk, the son of inspector at Frederiksværk Iron Works Hans Jacob Grøgaard Krog (1822–88) and Jenny Meyer (1824–1905). He graduated from Efterslægtselskabets Skole in 1873. He then apprenticed as a mason for half a year C. Wienberg and studied drawing under C. V. Nielsen. He enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts' School of Architecture in October 1874, graduating in 1880. In 1877–78, together with Martin Nyrop, Hack Kampmann and Martin Borch, he contributed to Hans J. Holm's Surveying of Kronborg Castle. He studied Majolica ceramics on a journey to Italy in 1877–83. He also worked as a draftsman for Ludvig Fenger and contributed to Ferdinand Meldahl and Heinrich Hansen's interior restoration of Frederiksborg Castle and received attention for his Moorish Hall at the Panopticon Building in Copenhagen.
Royal Copenhagen
Royal Copenhagen
• Illustration — Krog's Polar Bear Fountain in front of the Peace Palace in The Hague After Aluminia's acquisition of the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactury in 1882, its director, Philip Schou (1838–1922), was looking for someone who could revive the stagnating company artistically. In 1884 he asked the xylographer Frederik Hendriksen for advice on the matter and he proposed Krog as a possible candidate for the job. Krog was hired on a trial basis in October 1884 and was appointed to artistic director of the company on a permanent basis in January 1885. Krog introduced a new style with inspiration from Japanese porcelain and nature. His achievements won recognition at the Nordic Exhibition of 1888 in Copenhagen and international attention at the 1891 General Land Centennial Exhibition in Paris where the company won the grand prix. It was also for the Nordic Exhibition 1888 that Arnold Krog introduced the first underglazed memorial plate from Royal Copenhagen, which would become the inspiration for the later Danish Christmas plates.
Furniture, and silver
Furniture, and silver
Krog has also designed silver, for instance for A. Michelsen. He has also designed furniture and bookbinding.
Painting
Painting
Late in his life, he took up landscape painting and etching. He held a solo exhibitions at Kleis' gallery in Østergade in 1919 and 1923. He was represented at the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 1887, 1891, 1916, 1919–21 and 1923.
Personal life
Personal life
Krog was married to Euphemia Magdalene Henningsen on 8 September 1882 in Hvedstrup Church. She was a sister of the painters Frants Henningsen and Erik Henningsen. They lived in Tisvildeleje after his retirement. He died on 7 June 1931 and was buried in Vinderød Cemetery.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Frederiksværk.
Birth place
Tisvilde.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Arnold Krog”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1252464: Arnold Krog
General reference · Wikidata
Memberships and awards
• Illustration — Krog's grave He became a member of the academy's plenary session in 1911 and he was a member of the academy council from February 1911 to February 1919. He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1890 and a titular professor in 1892.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Paintings
19,183 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- Arnold Marc GorterArtist
- Arnold NogyArtist
- Arnold of NijmegenArtist
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