C20Ceramics

Apr 11

Royal Copenhagen Quaking Grass

When designing Quaking Grass, (pattern number 884) Thorkild Ohlsen developed beautiful and subtle porcelain forms with elegant lines, and perfect proportions. This was combined with Art Nouveau and Oriental-inspired, hand-painted botanical elements in patterns that are timeless and elegant.

The forms designed for this service were to be used on many dinnerware designs that followed including the equally admired “Fensmark”.

Quaking Grass was produced from the early-30’s until approximately 1960, as it simply did not go out of style.

Quaking Grass derives it name from an early-19th century botanical illustration of the ‘Doxia’ plant, more-commonly known as ‘Quaking Grass’. This plant is common in the Scandinavian region, and is highly regarded for its golden “Japanese lantern” style seed pods that hang from long stems that ‘quake’ with the slightest breeze, giving each plant a charming quality that makes a field of Doxia dance with lively energy.

Ohlsen captured the delicacy and movement of this beautiful plant, in beautifully and delicately rendered leaves and stems of sage green, surmounted by seed pods rendered in gold. Each spray of Doxia is slightly different, demonstrating the skill of the painters of this ware.

This work was produced by painters who also painted the famous Danish botanical paintings on the illustrious ‘Flora Danica’ porcelain service produced by Royal Copenhagen The botanical motif is restricted to small central areas and sides of the individual plates and serving pieces, allowing the beautiful pale cream color of the porcelain to serve as the primary decorative element.

‘Quaking Grass’ was primarily sold in Europe and the United Kingdom, and was extremely expensive when new, with a full dinner service for 14 with serving pieces selling for nearly $5,000 in the Late-1950’s–an astronomical sum at a time when a service for 12 of Noritake, sold for around $150.00

Apr 9

Royal Copenhagen Fensmark

Thorkild Ohlsen (1890-1973) was a Danish landscape painter and porcelain designer who produced a number of significant porcelain dinner services for Royal Copenhagen beginning in the early 1930’s.

Ohlsen was originally employed by Royal Copenhagen Porcelain in 1908, and was an important collaborator of Nils Thorsson. He continued to paint and exhibit his work during his lifetime.

At Royal Copenhagen he worked with both modeling and decoration, especially over-and underglaze painting, and he participated in the development of glazes. In his early work, a series of crackle ware from 1920 , is the decoration of iron red and gold, usually with botanical motifs.

I think one of the most elegant dinnerware ranges he designed was “Fensmark” c1930s– named after a town in Denmark of the same name. It is also known by its pattern number “1010”. It was in production for decades and the forms were used on a number of dinnerware series.

Royal Copenhagen Fensmark Serving Tureen

Royal Copenhagen Fensmark Candle Holders

The botanical drawing seems to be of “Quaking grass” in flower. The shapes in this range are beautifully elegant, and so typical of the late Art Deco period, with shapes starting to round off a bit, but with features such as Ziggurat style steps still present.

Other important dinnerware designs produced by Ohlsen included Quaking Grass, Dagmar, Liselund, Georgina, Primavera, and Wheat Cereals (blanc de chine)

Apr 7

Royal Copenhagen Pattern 953 Ellen Malmer

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Ellen Malmer, Royal Copenhagen

Ellen Malmer, Royal Copenhagen 1965-1988

Ellen Malmer ( b1942 – ) is another of the great designers and artists who worked for Royal Copenhagen at the height of its popularity in the mid to late twentieth century. She was part of the group working with Nils Thorsson producing the now iconic Baca and Tenera series for Aluminia/Royal Copenhagen.

She trained at the Design School in Copenhagen and started with Royal Copenhagen as a designer in 1965 working there until 1988, primarily with Fajance ware. After leaving Royal Copenhagen she has worked in her own right as an Artist in the fields of textiles and collage/painting.

Each Designer who worked with fajance ware at Royal Copenhagen became known for their unique style of design, decoration, use of colour, and motifs – and the work of Ellen Malmer is no exception.

We often see only the most popular Baca and Tenera designs these days by Ellen due to their higher production, but they represent only a small range of her designs. I have tried to capture a wide cross section of her designs in the images below.

I really like the graphic and textural qualities of her designs, along with her subtle use of tone and colour. If I had to pick a favourite it would be the Nucella design dinnerware in blue. The shapes for this series were designed by Inge-Lise Kofoed and Leif Lautrup-Larsen, and the Pattern design by Ellen Malmer in 1966.