Posts tagged ‘Henrik Ditlev’

Nov 24

Ditlev Denmark, 1967 Catalogue

Ditlev Denmark, 1967 Den Permanente Catalogue

Im very attracted to the smooth streamlined forms which Dane, Henrik Ditlev created on dark chocolate brown clay, along with his superb glaze colours.

Much of what he produced was designed for serving food – dinnerware, teapots, plate-ware, coffee pots, serving dishes and so on. Ditlev pottery was so well made and thrown, with tough glazes and superb quality clay – that when you come across it now, some 50+ years later – it is often still in excellent condition.

Interestingly, the type of plate and serving wares he produced is very much in vogue currently in top end Restaurants around the world. ( See my previous entry for Ditlev HERE ).

Recently I found in a 1967 Den Permanente Catalogue (which the Royal Danish Library has digitised here) a whole range of Ditlev pieces which were sold through Den Permanente in Copenhagen. These digitised catalogues are such a great resource, especially when trying to identify a date of production and how a whole production series fitted together.

Ditlev Denmark, 1967 Den Permanente Catalogue

Ditlev Coffee Pot – photo via “modapple” etsy – listed as item “d” in the catalogue page above.

Ditlev Serving Dish, appears as “e” in the catalogue page above.

Ditlev Coffee Set – photo via “Foxbride” Etsy

Dec 28

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Ditlev Denmark

Henrik Ditlev Larsen, Denmark

Henrik Ditlev Larsen worked as a wheel thrower at Lars Syberg Pottery in Denmark in the 1940s and 1950s during its heyday. He simply went by the name of Ditlev.

He worked alongside Bjorn Wiinblad who was just starting his career also around this time. Wiinblad was allowed to produce some of his own work at Syberg, and Ditlev threw pieces for Bjorn Wiinblad, who then decorated them.

Ditlev went on to start his own pottery in Lyngby, Denmark in 1956 – and later went to work with Bjorn Wiinblad again, when Wiinblad purchased Nymolle pottery around 1976.

The work that you come across from Ditlev’s own studio are always elegant and simple, and at the same time very precisely made. If you find pieces with handles by Ditlev they are usually thrown pieces attached to the clay body, and they show his high level of his skill as a thrower, as do his perfectly formed flat plates.

Ditlev Denmark, Stoneware Teapot — DitlevDenmark, Stoneware Teapot – Via Modapple on Etsy (sold)

Im always drawn to his glazes as well – often speckled as can be seen in the pictured examples, and never boring in colour. Most pottery I have come across by Ditlev is of a utilitarian nature and very high fired, tough stoneware.

Most pieces have rich, deeply coloured glazes and are made from a very dark brown clay that looks like chocolate!

Pieces of Ditlev pottery are either hand signed with a bold “Ditlev” cypher, or have a small round stamp “Ditlev Denmark”