Posts tagged ‘Marianne Starck’

Jan 6

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Bowl, Marianne Starck

Michael Andersen Denmark – Marianne Starck & The Persia Glaze

While the award winning and amazing “Persia” glaze at Michael Andersen & Sons was developed in the 1930s by Daniel Andersen (1885-1959) and used on pieces from that date, I think it is the designs of Marianne Starck at MAS & Sons in the 1950s and 1960s where the Persia glaze is seen at its best.

This complex glaze turns out differently on each piece, depending on the glaze colourants used and style of decoration. Sometimes it appears like a pearlescent multi coloured micro-mosaic, and at other times as a more subtle pattern decoration with grey pearlescent hues. Often the pieces using this glaze have beautiful but subtle oxidisation of the glaze, giving some of the colours a slightly metallic appearance – especially noticeable on the red colour of the Viking longboat in the first image below.

The glaze is also surprisingly smooth and silky to the touch. The Persia glaze was used on all types of forms – from utilitarian pieces to sculptural forms.

Below are some of my favourite pieces using the Persia glaze.

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Bowl, Marianne Starck – Photo Ray Garrod

Detail – Viking Design on Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Bowl, Marianne Starck

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Lamp, Marianne Starck, Photo Ray Garrod

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Dish, Marianne Starck

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Bowl, Marianne Starck, Photo Ray Garrod

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Dish, Marianne Starck, Photo Ray Garrod

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Bowl, Marianne Starck – On this piece the Persia glaze effect is much more subtle, because of the large areas of colour in the design. Photo Ray Garrod

Michael Andersen Denmark, Persia Glaze Dish, Marianne Starck, Photo Ray Garrod

Feb 8

Michael Andersen Denmark - Marianne Starck Design

Marianne Starck “Negro” Series, Michael Andersen & Sons (Part 2), Variations

The “Negro Series” sometimes referred to as the “Tribal” series was designed by Marianne Starck in the 1950s for Michael Andersen & Sons on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. You can read more about it in Part 1 HERE.

In addition to the strikingly bold, black and white designs there were some variations with this series. Because there doesn’t seem to be much documentation about this series of designs – It is hard to know sometimes if pieces were designed as part of the Negro series, or simply colour variations added later due to its popularity.

Also you will find that many of the shapes and forms used on the Negro series, were used for other designs coming out of the pottery during these mid-century years.

Henrik in Denmark, who is a passionate collector of the work of Marianne Starck has provided a number of photographs of part of his large and growing collection of Starck’s work for Michael Andersen – and in particular the large number of series which she designed during the 1950s including the “Negro” series.

Henrik has collected many pieces and variations of her designs which are very hard to find, and his collection goes to show us how prolific and original Marianne Starck was as a designer, in addition to being a skilled ceramicist.

Firstly, here are some of the less commonly seen black and white “Negro” series designs: (click on small images to bring up scrolling gallery).

Now some of the variations:

From what I can see the “Negro” variation most often seen, is the one with black and white + red ochre: The use of red ochre as an accent colour on these designs really makes them “pop”.

There is also another group which may or may not have beed designed as part of the original “Negro” series. It often has the same forms and designs often found on the Negro series, but has a black body with turquoise/green glaze. My favourite is the bold design bottom left.

Then there is another design, which also seems to be a variation of the Negro series motifs, featuring a black clay body, with red ochre+chrome green with no white. Read more

Dec 7

Michael Andersen Denmark, Marianne Starck Negro Series

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Marianne Starck “Negro” Series, Michael Andersen & Sons (Part 1)

Marianne Starck 1931 – 2007 worked at Michael Andersen & Sons, Bornholm as the Artistic Director from 1955 to its closure in 1993. During these decades her output of designs was vast – but isn’t well catalogued. Every year I continue to find designs by her which I haven’t come across previously.

Marianne originally come from Germany where she undertook an apprenticeship at the Thoms pottery in northern Germany, and later studied graphic design in Germany at Landeskunstschule (University of Fine Arts, Hamburg). Her most successful designs at Michael Andersen & Sons often have very strong graphic elements as part of the design – reflecting her training in this field.

One of her most striking and now most coveted and popular series of designs was for the 1950s “Negro” series. This series features white motifs carved through to black clay – the form would have been slip cast first and then finished and carved by hand and you can usually see the carve marks in the black clay.

The motifs in this series vary from abstract forms, to stylised plants, animals and human forms to simple repeat patterns. Usually the glaze is a bright white, but there are also pieces which have a white glaze speckled with oatmeal colour.

There are also some variations on this series which I will show in a future post.

Below are some of the designs I have had, which are just a fraction of the forms from this very large and popular series: