Posts tagged ‘Nils Thorsson’

Aug 24

Royal Copenhagen Baca, Shape 3266

I never knew this shape existed until I came across it recently. This tiny little Royal Copenhagen lidded box is from the very popular BACA fajance series in the 1960s. Pieces from this series have become real collectors items, and its easy to see why.

The design is number 711, on shape 3266 – a box measuring a tiny 4.5cm square x 3cm high.

Nils Thorsson designed all the forms for this series, and the 711 pattern on this piece is his design as well.

It has proved to be one of most popular patterns of the BACA series with its lovely textured glaze of green, white and blue hues; and each piece turning out slightly different because of the method of glazing Nils Thorsson developed for this series.

You can read all about this series and its artists in my previous post HERE

The other form this 711 pattern is seen on is the series of 3 various sized square bottle forms like the one below…..but I have yet to see it on any other forms with pattern 711 except for the bottle and small box form…..If you know of any others I would love to see them.

Royal Copenhagen Pattern 711, Nils Thorsson

Jan 31

Aluminia Gunhild Plate, Nils Thorsson, Aluminia

Aluminia//Royal Copenhagen “Gunhild” Plate Set, Nils Thorsson

I had part of a series of the Aluminia//Royal Copenhagen fajance plates pictured below some time ago, and eventually sold them on.

Years later as often happens, I have stumbled across their designer and name. I loved the orange brown autumn tones, and the beautifully hand painted motifs of fruits and flowers.

While looking through an auction catalogue at Lauritz.com recently I stumbled upon a whole set of these fruit plates as it was originally configured, and a quick bit of research led to finding out more of their story.

The series name was apparently “Gunhild” and was designed by Nils Thorsson for Aluminia//Royal Copenhagen 1933, and in production until 1968 from what I have read.

They seem to hard to get hold of, but not that expensive if you do find them.

Aluminia Gunhild Plate, Nils Thorsson, Aluminia

Aluminia Gunhild Plate set Nils Thorsson, Aluminia – Photo Lauritz.com DK

Backstamp

Jan 18

Royal Copenhagen, Nils Thorsson - Løvspring

Nils Thorsson Løvspring, Royal Copenhagen 1943

I bought the vase below at auction some time ago, not knowing anything about the design – but it just had that quality of something special.

With help of a reader in the U.K. who had the design in another shape, it was finally identified when she wrote to Royal Copenhagen who identified the design.

“Your vase is actually very rare. So rare that it is not mentioned in the book about “Aluminia” by E. Winge Flensborg, which has a list of the known items of a small series of vases from 1943/44, named “Løvspring”, by Nils Thorsson. Aluminia was the earthenware factory run together with The Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Factory. Due to the situation under the war there was a shortage of raw materials and Thorsson sought to come up with alternative materials. This series is made from red clay. The items came with glazes in various colours: Yellow, brown, green and blue over a scrafitto-decoration. It was a very short lived production.”

The piece is made from terracotta clay and the surface colour comes from what appears to be a clay slip brushed over the clay and then covered with a clear low fired (borax probably) glaze which is pitted with tiny air bubbles typical of low fired glazes using easily available inexpensive materials. The sgraffito design is really makes the piece. Like many early pieces of Nils Thorsson it is not signed, but stamped for 1944. The shape is number 2338 – (16x 12cm).

Since being identified, I have seen the design on odd occasions, but it remains an elusive design.