Soholm Goes Native

I think this is the last of the blog worthy pieces from the small group lot I bought this week. Its a such a great modernist form with all those curves and different heights and angles - I love the colour too - overall though it's verging on Kitsch - but saved by that superb shape.

I haven't seen this motif before from Soholm - it is typical 1950's "native". (except the native depicted looks more like an alien from another planet!).

Peter Andersson Urn

I picked up this piece by Australian Potter Peter Andersson a few months ago at auction - at first I wasn't attracted to the colour, but I love the dry textured surfaces of his pieces, which evoke ancient civilisations, archeology and look like something discovered from an ancient ship wreck (in a good way!)

Born in 1952 (not to be confused with Peter Anderson b1979 - Tasmanian Potter, or Peter Anderson b1901 high profile U.S. potter). After working with several important local potters in South Australia he became Creative Director of the Ceramics studio at the Jam Factory 1989-1990, and then moved to his own pottery in the Adelaide Hills.

This piece looks to be 1980s, possibly early 1990s going by the colour used. Its a nice feature piece 30cm tall x 24 diameter. Peter's work is stamped PA on the base. (Thank you to Judith at Bemboka where I found Peter's bio ).

Peter Andersson - South Australia c 1980's

If you are in Australia keep an eye out in charity shops etc. for Australian studio pottery - although this piece was at auction - studio pottery seems to be about the only type of bargain left in charity shops here these days because it can be too hard to identify - and hence sold at bargain prices. I've picked up a few local potters' work in this way in the past few years.

A nice piece of Hjorth

One more piece of Danish pottery I picked up this week. It's a lovely L. Hjorth stoneware fajance piece with such a beautiful hand painted pattern.

Typically Scandinavian floral motif and a joy to hold. Most people probably associate Hjorth with the Art Deco hand painted terracotta - but they produced a whole range of superb stoneware art pottery in the 1960's which you don't tend to see as often. Really worth getting hold of if you come across it.

Soholm - Northern Lights and Candle lights

Here are 3 more of the lovely pieces I got in the group lot yesterday. The first is the best example of the "Nordlys" (Northern Lights design by Maria Philippi for Soholm in 1963) - that I have ever come across. It also clicked in my head why this is probably called Nordlys - the colour runs are so beautiful and flowing they look just like the Northern Lights in the night sky. Combined with a very elegant, and fine shape - it all goes together to make this piece a real standout.

The following two pieces are candle holders from the blue series by Einar Johansen - although I haven't seen either of these shapes before. The bottle shaped one would be great as a bud vase, and the wider one could fit either a very large candle or a tea light candle.

I'm quite pleased with these purchases needles to say.... and although I'm listing them on eBay its always a great feeling to have great quality items.

Nordlys Bottle Vase - Soholm, Maria Philippi 1963

Nordlys Bottle Vase - Soholm, Maria Philippi 1963

Candle Holder from the blue series, Einar Johansen - Soholm

Candle Holder from the blue series, Einar Johansen - Soholm

Candle Holder from the blue series, Einar Johansen - Soholm

Candle Holder from the blue series, Einar Johansen - Soholm

Royal Copenhagen Crackleware 3593

Look what I managed to pick up today at Auction! in that group lot. It is one of the loveliest pieces of Crackle Ware Ive come across in a while. I can't work out which colour I like best in this range, they are just all so spot on and this sage green is sublime.

I find a lot of orange, but green seems harder to get hold of. It is in perfect condition, and I just love the silky smooth feeling of the glazes on these pieces.  This is shape 3593 with design 457.

I've put it straight onto eBay if you want to have a look there too..... I have a lot of cleaning to do now with the other pieces before I photograph them tomorrow or the day after - so stay tuned.

Royal Copenhagen Crackle Ware vase 3593

Auction Watch 19.2012

With 3 nights of Eurovision to watch and with a head cold, it was a bit of a struggle to have a look around this weekend....but I need to stock up on a few smaller Danish pieces sometime soon - and there are quite a few this week, so its all up to the Auction Gods and how much I can afford to purchase as they come up.

These Kronjyden Nissen pieces are just so beautiful -
and such great colour and size

Not a brand name, but such a great shape
for a 1960's glass jug

Royal Copenhagen - Quaking Grass -
Part Dinner service - these can
vary so much in price from $50 to $300

A nice little group of Fajance and Crackle Ware if the
price is right.

Oooh yes. Villeroy Acapulco Kettle Teapot - that will go for a small
fortune I'm sure ( unless no one notices it! )

I don't need this at the moment - but it would make a great box for all
my Bonsai tools. It is a sewing box - handmade in the great depression
out of scrap materials - such a fascinating piece of history.

There are some lovely pieces of Soholm, Michael Andersen, Copenhagen
and more in this small collection - the last time I saw a group like this
it went too high for me though, at around $160.

Such a beautiful Art deco design by Shelley -
always very expensive though at around $50-$70
per trio.

I haven't seen this series of year plates by Wiinblad before
 - they are quite lovely - around the $100 mark for all 3.  

Now that is one seriously impressive West German Vase
 - probably around $100

Finds From the Forum

Make sure you check out some of the recent posts to the Flickr forum (tab above) for this blog if you haven't been for a while....there are some really lovely..and unusual pieces there like these which really took my eye.  Starting to get quite a collection there now which is fantastic - thank you all for your contributions and finds. There is just so much high quality amazing vintage and retro stuff out there its mind boggling.

This piece is being researched at the moment by Fox & Thomas - fingers crossed its Linthorpe

The two bowls above and below are by Bjorn Wiinblad - own studio - I have never seen this series before - both
from Mascara Jones - the style of drawing is much looser than you would normally see by Wiinblad.

Rosenthal Bisque Porcelain Vase - such a sculptural piece from Mascara Jones

Love this black and white design on Johnson Brothers (England) from Beetle, what a find!!

Another from Beetle, West German Hot Fiery Fat Lava Plate 1970's - love the colour

Lyngby Denmark

It took me a few hours of searching around the Internet yesterday and today to find and piece together some information on Lyngby Denmark - who produced some amazing patterns in the 1960s. The part dinner set by Lyngby in the Auction Watch this week has been my only purchase in the past 2 days...but its so lovely. A plain, bright white porcelain beautifully subtle greys and a steel blue, combined with an outstanding but simple design of droplets defining the forms. The simplest patterns are often the best.

The pattern is Danild 66, and sometimes referred to as Draber (in English literally Drops Of) and it was produced in the late 1950's...it was part of a very popular range called Danild, Dan-ild, or Dan-fire....each numbered Danild <xy>

Lyngby Denmark, Danild 66

Incidentaly - Lyngby also produced a hugely popular series of ribbed porcelain vases which have become collectors items. There are also a huge amount of  figurines and more traditional porcelain patterns by Lyngby which aren't really my thing.

Lyngby Ribbed Porcelain Vases c 1960 - courtesy Laurtiz.com

Lyngby Porcelain opened in 1936 in Lyngby, a picturesque town just north of Copenhagen. Neils Holst and Christian Knudsen were its original founders, and it was a major supplier of dinnerware to the Danish market from the 1950s until its closure in 1969, after which it was soon demolished.

At its peak it had over 500 workers -which gives us an idea of the volume of work that they must have produced. Axel Bruel worked there as a designer at its peak as well.

Lyngby Danild 66 Soup Cup - Coupe

Lyngby Danild 66 - Candleholders

Lyngby Danild 66 Salt & Pepper

Lyngby Danild 66 Plates - Aren't those grey tones just so subtle and perfect!

Lyngby Danild 66 Side Handled Casserole

There were quite a large number of different backstamps used during the years, and I was a bit confused with the dinner set as it had a completely different stamp - but it clicked eventually - the stamp on part of the dinnerware I purchased is for when Lyngby was called Niels Holst & Son A/S. 

So these are the 2 differing stamps on the pieces I purchased...all of the others I have seen have the word Lyngby in them which makes identification a bit easier at least.

Lyngby Denmark stamp c 1960

Lyngby Stamp pre c1950 Niels Holst & Son A/S.

Auction Watch 18.2012

The weeks are just flying by....already time for the next Auction Watch.

I didnt buy anything last week, as I really have too much on hand at the moment, and the same probably goes for this week, although there is a really intersting variety of things this week - so if the price is right.....:)

Interesting Czech designed plate - probably $40 - I'd love to see more Czech pottery but
it doesnt come up that often. UPDATE: 16.06.13 - Maker is BIHL

Not a week goes by without a set of these Martin Boyd (Australian)
ramekins from the 1950's - this week there are 5 lots of them!
I quite like the colour of these - around $80 the lot.

A group of lovely Danish Stoneware Lamps - they used to go for next
to nothing, but now you can count on paying at least $30 each most
of the time - the only thing is they need rewiring always.

This setting doesnt show up that well in the photo but the colours and pattern
are superb - it is actually 2 makers/designs. The pieces in the centre are
from Lyngby and the plates around the outside are Danish but I dont know
the maker. Around $80 for the lot Im guessing .

Quite a nice Villeroy & Boch Azalea pattern jug
$50-$80

This is so beautiful. Small piece of Carlton ware "Noir Royale" -
Probably around $120 - $180

How cute! Cast Iron Kangaroo door stop - $50-$80

I always wanted to have one of these Carlton Ware
Rouge Royale pieces with white polka dots - '
highly sought after and probably around $120

Art Pottery Denmark - Gutte Eriksen

Thanks to Jacob on the Facebook page for this blog, I have been able to identify several of the pieces of studio pottery that I bought in a group lot several weeks ago - it looks like they may have all come from a collector - as they have turned out to be all by prominent Danish Potters.

This piece turns out to be by the very eminent Gutte Eriksen - one of the Women pioneers of Danish Studio Pottery.

The quote below comes from the site of Galerie Besson - which is now sadly closed but has left up its very informative archives fortunately:

Gutte Eriksen was born in 1918 in Rødby on the island of Lolland in Denmark. She studied at the Kunsthåndvaerkskolen in Copenhagen from 1936 to 1939. In 1941 she set up a studio with two other artists in Hareskov, loving to her own studio in Kastrup the following year. From 1953 she worked in her studio at Karlsminde. In 1948 she spent two months working with Bernard Leach in St Ives, and later that year she worked in France with Pierre Lion and Vassil Ivanoff. She visited Japan to work with potters there in 1970 and again in 1973.

Gutte influenced a generation of Danish potters with both her work and teaching. She taught at the Jutland Academy of Fine Arts, Arhus, in 1968-71, 1973-4 and 1976-8. Her public commissions include fountains in Østre Landsret and Holstebro. In 1972 she won the Gold Medal in Faenza and in 1985 she was awarded the Thorvald Bindesbøll Medal of the Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 2000 she was given The Prince Eugen Medal, awarded by the Swedish Royal Family for outstanding artistic achievement. She was honoured with a major retrospective at the Vejen Kunstmuseum in 2001. Gutte Eriksen died in 2008.

So here again is the lovely urn by Gutte I have, with some clearer photographs than I posted a few weeks ago. In photo 2 just below the handle or "ear" is Gutte's stamp - a letter "G"which has been mostly covered by the glaze. The influences of Bernard Leach and the Japanese potters can be clearly seen in her work: