Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish & German pottery

This post is gonna be a tour of the Nordic countries (minus Sweden, sorry- no Swedish finds this time!), as well as a visit to Germany. This weekend was amazing, thrifting wise, I found some great stuff, at ridiculously low prizes in three different charity stores. You gotta love those, so much more fun than ebay, as you get the thrill of the treasure hunt as a bonus:-) Nothing beats searching through a pile of junk,and then suddenly hit the jackpot. That's what it felt like this Saturday. I really need to cool it....

This is a beautiful piece of Danish studio pottery which was mine for only 30 NOK, around 5 USD, I really had to rub my eyes! The edge looks blue in the second image, it's not. The first one represents the colors best, the red is a rich orangy, and the brown is really dark, almost black. The initials KK is still a mystery to me, so I'm counting on you Danes out there:-) The only Danish pottery maker I can find with these initials is Knud Kyhn (1880- 1969). When I search the web for works by Kyhn, however, I find mainly animal sculptures, so it might not be the "KK" I'm looking for. I'm also guessing there must be a KK that was born a little later.




Speaking of Danish, I've been admiring the Søholm spice jars for ages but have never found any in the thrifts over here. But suddenly there they were in all their glory- a set of six jars at 10 NOK a piece- that's less than 2 USD!! I didn't notice before I washed them that some have text in Danish and some in Swedish. I guess they were customized for export.


 
On the same table as the beautiful Danish KK studio pottery, I spotted a piece of pottery that I've been really hoping to find one day. It's a piece of Icelandic Glit lava pottery. I don't know a great deal about it, but I know the ceramic studio was founded by Ragnar Kjartansson in 1958 and that they're known for using lava rocks (hraun) in the glaze. I don't think that's the case with this piece, unless the lava is actually blended into the clay. I find the roughness of icelandic pottery really beautiful, it's a quality that really reflects the gorgeous landscape it comes from. The symbol in the middle looks ancient and mythical, also in true Icelandic spirit. I'm  really excited to have found this piece!




Over to another country known for it's beautiful rustic designs- Finland! I know there's a looot of Arabia Ruska around, but I still love finding new pieces. If someone told me years ago that I would be collecting Ruska, I wouldn't have believed it. Growing up, I thought it was really ugly. But it's a design that has grown on me and taken me by surprise. It's a bit challenging and has certainly not been love at first sight, but when I fell, I fell hard. I love how it's all about that beautiful rustic glaze, that has all the browns you can imagine, from rich chocolate to almost black. I found this tea set for six.




A new handsome German, before I leave the rustic lava theme! This Scheurich is in neutral tones and a very cheerful orangy red that will brighten up things a bit while we're waiting for the spring to prove that it's here for sure:-)



Back to Scandinavia again, to Norway, more precicely to the southwestern part where I grew up. Some may have noticed that I'm pretty patriotic about our great pride and joy, Stavangerflint and Figgjo:-) Have you ever seen this beautiful Stavangerflint pattern? I thought I'd seen them all, but obviously not! I'm sorry, the photo was taken in the shop, it's not a good one. The shapes are the same as the "Nordkapp", but the pattern and colors are new to me. The teapot is gorgeous. I've e- mailed a photo to someone who might know what the pattern is called, I'll be sure to inform you if I find out! As beautiful as the set were, I actually left it behind. I have to narrow it down, I can't get everything. Sometimes I wish I had a shop... Well, I left the set hoping someone will be happy to find it complete. Later that same day, I actually found a serving plate in that same pattern in another shop, and guess what? I took it home:-)



Finally, two small dishes that I've previously only seen on the web. They're made by Stavangerflint for the Viking Hotel in Oslo in the 60s. They' re rather small, around 10 cm across, they might be ashtrays or butterdishes, I'm not sure. I do like the rather bold black on white pattern, it's quite striking. I wonder if there was a wide range of products in this series, does anyone know?


26 comments:

  1. Love. Such wonderful finds Tove. Arabia ruska looks like it would be virtually indestructible...my love of stoneware increases everyday because it can withstand almost anything. xx

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    1. Thank you!! I really love stoneware too! I keep finding new Arabia designs, Last weekend I saw two different ones from Ulla Procope. I wish I could collect them all, they're so gorgeous! I love designs that can stand the test of time, both aesthetically and because they're made to last:-)

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  2. What a superb group of finds Tove...you certainly have the eye for great pieces. All just lovely...The K K piece dosent look like a Knud Khyn signature (or his style of wor)....One of the K's could stand for Keramik I guess, but its not Kahler....I'm sure someone will recognise it though :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Ray! I agree about the KK piece- it can't be Kyhn. His style is too different, and he passed away around the time I think the dish is made. I'm guessing late 60s or early 70s. Maybe we should put our trust in our mutual Danish friend, she probably knows!
      I'm so glad you like my latest treasures:-)

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  3. Oj vad du har fyndat stort! Fina saker. På bilden av Stavanger- servisen skymtar det porslin i gul-brunt till höger och ovanför, är det Arabia? Jag samlar GOG saker =)

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    1. Tusen takk, ja det var litt av en lørdag:-) Det som står ovenfor Stavangerflint sakene er "Honey", også fra Stavangerflint, men sakene til høyre er Arabia! Jeg husker ikke navnet, men mønsteret er som Ruija, bare andre farger, mer brunt. Det sto en del Ruija der også... den som kunne kjøpe alt, jeg skulle behøve større hus:-)

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  4. Just a bit jealous (again!) Tove.

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    1. Oh, thank you, Kylie! It was quite a day, I must admit... I just told Fammo, above, that I might be needing a bigger house soon:-) No really, I find this stuff so hard to resist, I think I need a break from the thrifting...

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  5. Masse fint! Har vært i Danmark i helga, og plukket med meg noe fint - kommer snart:)

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    1. Å, det skal bli spennende å se hva du fant!! Deilig med en tur nå på våren:-) Jeg elsker den danske keramikken. Jeg jobbet i København i flere år, men har ennå til gode å gå i bruktbutikker i Danmark... Sikkert mye fint der:-)

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  6. I found and actually purchased the exact same Stavengerflint tea set about a month ago in an antique mall in Warsaw, Missouri (USA) of all places. I did some research on it and I think it is called Norrona or Norroma (it is on the bottom of the teapot but last part of it is hard to make out), designed by Inger Waage. The cups say Norway 3034. Love all your finds this week especially the spice jars and the Scheurich piece!

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    1. Great, thanks a lot! I was guessing Inger Waage, but had no idea about the name of the design. "Norrøna" is the old word (we're talking really old here, think vikings:-) for "Nordic". It's used about the language at that time (which had a lot in common with Icelandic today), the mythology, culture and so on.
      When I grew up, really close to where these were made, every household had Stavangerflint or Figgjo sets. It's a bit surprising that there are still patterns I haven't seen. I suspect some of them sold well domestically, while others were big on the export market. I'm amazed how much of it emigrated, Imagine finding them in Missouri:-) Thanks again!

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  7. Beautiful finds this week Tove! You have such a great eye for pottery pieces - all of them are just stunning. I think my fave is the first KK piece.

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    1. Oh, thank you so much, Francine, you're so sweet! I'll be sure to tell you some more about the KK piece when (hopefully) I find out:-)
      We're so shaken by those terrible acts in Boston, I guess the whole US is in a state of shock and disbelief. Warm wishes from across the globe

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  8. I am truly in love with the spice jars. They're fabulous. The red bowl and the Scheurich piece are stunners too! Great finds!

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    1. Thank you so much, Dana! I was so thrilled when I spotted the spice jars, and even more so when I saw the price! Can you believe it? They're flawless too... And need I say that the colors are perfect for my kitchen:-) I'm so glad you like the red piece of studio pottery too, both that and the Icelandic one have all those handmade qualities that I love so much.

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  9. First of all, thank you for your comment. I truly appreciate it.
    Second, beautiful finds, every single one of them. I am hard pressed to choose a favorite.
    I have those spice jars in the store :)

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    1. Oh, I'm just so sorry your visit to Boston took such a dramatic turn. I had a quick glance at your recent post, it's so touching, I'll go back and read it properly. You got the spice jars? Great to know who to turn to in case a need to extend the collection arises, it just might do that:-) I'll head over to your blog now:-)

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  10. I love the spice jars! So cute!

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    1. Thank you, Anathalia! I love them too, they're so rustic and "homey":-)
      It's so great to hear from you, considering what you've probably experienced lately. Those horrible acts have shaken us here all across the globe. I love Boston, it's a wonderful city, and it WILL stay that way!

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  11. Wow I love that Stavanger tea service!! I love it when you find a set that still has its teapot!
    which reminds me about that Egersund teapot from a couple of weeks back -I'll go take some pictures and post this evening so you can take a look...

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    1. I agree, the Stavangerflint set is so beautiful, especially the teapot!!
      I solved my teapot mystery!! I just got an email from the Egersund fayence museum, they had some information about my Egersund teapot from a few posts back- the design is called "Cirkel" by Kaare Blokk-Johansen, and the pattern is "Chèrie" by Ingrid Marcussen. It was in production from 1965 - 1968.
      I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures! Did you find some Egersund pieces?

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  12. Hei Tove, just discovered your fabulous blog. It will be great to follow your finds! I am slightly obsessed with pottery and ceramics, especially scandinavian, so I guess I will find a lot of information here.

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    1. Hei, nice to meet you! I'm so glad you like my blog, I'll definitely be checking out yours:-) Nice to meet a new like- minded! Have a great week:-)

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  13. Hello there! I also have a piece that I would love to identify--same KK initials! Did you ever find out further information or confirm it is Knud Kyhn?

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  14. I'v traced i to possibly Kingo.

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