Posts tagged ‘Slab Pottery’

Apr 4

Ursula Printz Mogensen

Ursula Printz Mogensen 1920-1993

Ursula Printz came to Sweden from Germany at the age of 17, and In 1939 became a student of Wilhelm Kage at Gustavsberg.

Due to her outstanding skills and knowledge she became director of the painting department at Gustavsberg in 1942 where she stayed until 1951 when she moved to the Royal Copenhagen factory Denmark. While at Royal Copenhagen she also met her future husband Jorgen Mogensen.

In 1953 she moved to her own studio in the town of Holte in Demark, where Jorgen joins her in c1964-5.

From this studio they both continued to work for many years.

Ursula’s work is characterised by the strong use of pattern and brushwork.

Her work from Gustavsberg is usually signed “UP”, “Printz,” “Ursula”, and occassionally simply a painted yellow snake. At Royal Copenhagen for studio pieces used “Ursula P”, often together with the year. In her own workshop she used most often signed her work simply “Ursula”

Ursula Printz Mogensen, Own Studio, Lamp – Photo Lauritz.com

Ursula Printz Mogensen – Slab Jar, Own Studio

Ursula Printz Mogensen – Slab Bottle

Ursula Printz Mogensen – Studio Signature

Ursula Printz Mogensen, Gustavsberg Jar via freeformsusa.com

The group of images below of Urusla’s work below Swedens National Museum of Art & Design which has a large collection of her work online HERE Read more

Dec 23

Jorgen Mogensen, Bird Vase Form, Royal Copenhagen

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Jorgen Mogensen Denmark

Jorgen Mogensen, Danish Potter (1927-2017 Denmark)

I believe Jørgen MOGENSEN is one of the 20th Century’s most important Danish potters and sculptors. I love the sculptural qualities of his work and the way he uses glazes to accentuate the textural quality of his pieces. His pieces are all beautifully formed – and nearly always quite heavy and sculptural.

Mogensen trained at the Art Craftsman School in Copenhagen, and then studied for a period in Paris. He started his professional career as a potters apprentice with Royal Copenhagen in 1949. He worked with iconic figures such as Knud Khyn, Axel Salto, Gerd Bogelund and Nils Thorsson in their “stoneware cellar” where this group worked at Royal Copenhagen.

His first work for Royal Copenhagen were his 1950s pieces of stylised bird motifs with a mottled brownish stoneware glaze – a similar glaze to which the other stoneware artists were using during this period. He rarely used other glazes or colours – but you can sometimes find a design in blues.

The pieces below are all pieces I have owned by Jorgen Mogensen. The first piece I had was the squared vase form, which I was so drawn to it eventually led me to discover a whole world of Danish Mid-Century pottery which I have been researching, learning and writing about ever since. Read more