Editing Blaafarveværket (section)

===Royal ownership===
Blaafarveværket was founded by King [[Christian VII of Denmark|Christian VII]] of [[Denmark-Norway]] in 1776. Its early history is closely tied to that of the [[Royal Copenhagen|Royal Porcelain Factory]] in [[Copenhagen]], as cobalt was essential for decorating [[porcelain]]. The establishment of the company represented an enormous investment on the part of the King, equivalent to the tax revenues for all of Denmark-Norway for a whole year. According to historian Ingerid Hagen, Blaafarveværket was one of the few Dano-Norwegian companies with lasting significance from the [[Mercantilism|mercantilist era]], played an important role in Norwegian trade with [[Denmark]], the [[Netherlands]] and countries in [[Asia]] and had a decisive impact on the Norwegian economy in the period around 1814.<ref>Guri Kulås, "Før oljen var kobolten," ''Klassekampen'', 31 May 2014, pp. 40–41</ref>