C20Ceramics

Jul 4

Royal Copenhagen, Johanne Gerber Designs

The first design here is just so impressive and powerful…and It shouts Mid Century Modern. I have only come across it on this large form (no. 3101) which is 36cm tall. Of course it is from Royal Copenhagen and is a design by Johanne Gerber as part of the BACA series at Royal Copenhagen in the 1960s.

Johanne was one of a group of designers and artists under the direction of Nils Thorsson. This group included Berte Jessen, Marianne Johnson, Ellen Malmer, Kari Christensen, Beth Breyen and Grete Helland-Hansen, Johanne(s) Gerber, Anne Marie Trolle and Ivan Weiss.

Most of the forms were design by Nils Thorsson, but Ellen Malmer also designed about 14 of the forms.

A glazing technique was developed by Nils so that each piece turned out slightly differently, giving them a hand-crafted, hand painted appearance due to the nature of the glaze.

The designs of each of the artists/pattern designers is very different. I think the designs of Johanne Gerber are amongst the boldest – often featuring strong contrasting colours as in this example, and often with complex layering of patterns and textures. All of Johanne’s designs have quite a painterly quality – and often remind me of mid 20th century abstract and expressionist painting.

Jun 14

Washington Pottery, Beefeater and Aquarius Designs

How fantastically psychedelic are these plates!

They are from are series of plates called "Beefeater" - There were 6 plates in this series, and there were also 6 round plates, 6 mugs and 6 bowls with the same designs, but much less commonly found.

Laholm Pottery, Sweden

Potteries in the town of Laholm Sweden have operated since the 1600’s. The name “Laholm” was used commercially as a brand name from 1945 when a new pottery was built and opened with that name by a Nils Larsson and family.

Earlier this pottery business had been run by Julius Nilsson until 1923, then by an Anders Larsson to 1931. Anders left the business to his son Olof Larsson and grandson Nils Larsson in 1931 who built the new pottery, and called it “Laholm”……

The pottery stayed in the Larsson family hands until 2000 when it closed.

Like many local potteries, they produced mainly domestic utilitarian and decorative pieces like jars, lamps, candle holders, flower pots, vases etc.

The designs I have come across have been made of a red terracotta clay, often with a fajance style white underglaze, and hand-painted overglaze patterns and sometimes carved designs – (much in the style of Tilgmans Sweden). These fajance glazed, overpainted pieces would appear to be from the 1950s or 1960s.

These designs contrast strongly with much of the output from the 1970s, which is heavily textured in dark colours…the trend in pottery at the time.

You can nearly always see an interesting and wide range of Laholm pieces for sale on Etsy HERE

Laholm is not to be confused with Norwegian pottery Larholm.