Sunday, October 06, 2013

Stavanger finds

I didn't plan to do any thrifting (and that's the truth!!) when I was in Stavanger a fortnight ago, the weekend was all about taking in the landscape (see images here) but somehow, mum and I stumbled across an open air flea market in one of the city squares, and who can resist those?

I immediately spotted this amazing set of 12  Holmegaard Ballon glasses, all in mint condition. They were designed by Per Lütken in 1973. I love the heavy, solid glass stem with the bubble and the very distinct 70s feel. This is the biggest size, they came in three different sizes, where each size was meant to serve several purposes. They  go really well with Ruska, and they're perfect for almost everything. Aren't they gorgeous?




When I got back, I found this single glass in a different size and shape, but from the same series. Perfect for a cocktail or dessert. I'm hoping more of them will turn up!


I have been collecting Ultima Thule for quite some time, but it's going really slowly. If we are not more than the four of us, however, I have enough tumblers. I prefer the Ultima Thule glasses without stems, so what do you experts out there say, can these two be combined (yesterday's dinner setting below) or are they too different? Please ignore that I couldn't be bothered to iron the placemats....




That first stall of the flea market had so many gems. I found two pieces by Nils Aa Sivertsen, one from his time with Graveren (from 1949), the other one from the time he was employed by Stavangerflint. This first one is the Graveren piece, a candle holder. There was a number of products that had this lovely "gingerbread icing". Although I've never found when this pattern was designed, I will be very surprised if it wasn't in the 50s.



This is a Stavangerflint wall plaque, the second piece by Nils Aa Sivertsen. The back says "Sweetheart" and that it's handmade. Isn't it cute? I must admit that if it wasn't brown, it would probably be too cute for my taste... Sivertsen was employed by Stavangerflint in 1968, when Stavangerflint had just merged with Figgjo. He designed several patterns, like Florry, Amber, Bardu, Beito and Karin. I'm not familiar with these. He also designed some purely decorative pieces, amongst them the wall plaques, or relieffs "Mother" and "Wedding". I'm guessing the one I found must be from this series.



Yay!! My Wiinblad monthly plaque number thirteen! That doesn't add up, right? Well, I have two Januarys and two Februarys, but this is my first December, and now I'm only missing August.



The Figgjo Hedda pattern was designed in 1977 by Rolf Frøyland. It was printed on pieces from the Omega line by Ragnar Grimsrud and was in production until 1980. I like how the lid has more solid color and givs the piece some definition. I found some egg cups in this pattern earlier, that you can see here.




And Daisy.... This is only my second piece, I found a skillet a little while ago. I don't have much blue in my home, these are amongst the very few pieces that make the cut. There's something about that almost naive, happy pattern. I had dinner on it every day when I grew up, mum and dad had this and Tor Viking. Later they got Lotte, which they still use. Daisy was designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver, and was in production from 1969 to 1975.




This is my first Elvira piece! Elvira is a handpainted pattern, also one of the wonderful designs of mrs Oliver. It was in production from 1970 to 80. I learnt in the Figgjo museum this summer that the black was printed on, while the purple and brown was painted by hand. You can easily identify the brush strokes that adds to the handpainted feel. I think the pattern reflects the time it was designed so wonderfully. I cannot make out the "June design" on the stamp as I know for sure it was designed by Oliver. Does anyone know what this means?




I've never seen these next two plates before. Designed 18 years apart, they both feature a scene with one of our most famous writers, Alexander L. Kielland (1849 – 1906) who was one of the so-called "Four Greats" in Norwegian Litterature. You might have heard of the more internationally acclaimed Henrik Ibsen, he's one of them. In my Stavangerflint souvenir plates, Kielland is the  sculpture on the market place, gazing towards the harbour in a cape and top hat.

Born in, you guessed it, Stavanger, he grew up in a rich merchant family. Kielland was the younger brother of our amazing female landscape painter Kitty Kielland. Despite being born into wealth, he had a sincere affection for the less fortunate, treating his workers well when he was a factory owner. He remained a spokesman for the weak and a critic of the hypocrisy of society throughout his time as a writer. I really enjoy reading his novels. They give such vivid images of the city at that time, with it's wharfs, fishery and canning industries that made the city before oil was discovered in the 1960s. Right now, I'm reading "Gift" (poison) which takes place in my old high school. The descriptions of the building and the cathedral next to it are so vivid, and it's so amazing to think that we attended that same school 100 years apart.

More familiar places, the first plate, decorated by Anders Jaarvik in 1968, shows him strolling in front of the medieval church at Orre, which you can see in a couple of my pictures here. He called Orre "heaven on earth", and was often seen walking the beach there, which is a place I often visit too, have a look here. His love of Orre was also said to have something to do with a woman... There's a stone next to the church, saying that this is the place he would have liked to be buried. However, when he died he was given a state funeral and a much more prominent burial site. To you Scandinavian readers there's a text on the back which is worth a read.





The second plate is much more recent, it was designed in 1986 and was one of the motifs in a series of ten designed by Henry Imsland for Lions Club. The style is more of a charicature and shows Kielland sitting in the garden of what could be the city house of the Kielland family. Unfortuneately, it was torn down many years ago and I'm not quite sure what it looked like. The family had another grand manor house which is still there and can be visited.



Kielland is said to have been quite a character, I can't resist showing you a couple of images. In the second one, he's posing with another of the "great four", Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. Oh, the clothes of that time, aren't they magnificent? It seems like Kielland wore this kind of fez for informal occasions and at home, and wore a top hat when he strolled the streets.



My last Stavanger find is this piece of Sandnes pottery. I have mentioned them in several posts, and won't bore you with the details again:-) I was thrilled to find this particular one, you rarely find them in such good condition.



Finally (phew!!!), just a pic to show you some candles I recently found for my Festivos. I think it's really hard to find candles that fit them, but these aren't half bad! I dream of finding the original ball- shaped candles, does anyone know it they're still being produced? Wish you all a wonderful week!!!

22 comments:

  1. I love reading about your "finds". I share your taste in so many things, even though I am a 49er and grew up in the 50 ies. I read to learn. Your knowledge about Finish glass is amazing. You are right about the candleholder from Gravern. It´s made in the mid fifties. We had a confect bowl ( Which is not bowl shaped) when I grew up. I managed to find it´s twin just a few years ago. The plates of Alexander Kielland were new to me. I have one of Arne Garborg and one of Thorvald Thue in the same series. Both were authors from Jaeren.

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    1. Tusen takk for veldig hyggelig kommentar! Kjekt å høre at du også liker disse tingene:-) Når jeg er hjemom i Stavanger går mamma og jeg på bruktbutikker. Hun er født i 43 og husker alle disse fra "første runde" og er mine "ører og øyne" når jeg ikke er der:-) Hun fant en gang en råfin teakskjenk for meg som jeg er veldig glad i!! Jeg må se om jeg kan finne en skål som kompanjong til Graveren lysestaken:-) Oi, finnes det en Garborg- tallerken også? Den må jeg lete etter, jeg som er så glad i Jæren!!

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  2. The Holmegaard glasses are beautiful...and so many of them!! It's amazing that you found 12 in mint condition. I'm always fascinated by the great pottery you find and your vast knowledge about it.

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    1. Thank you, Dana, I love them!! I use them for every meal! Every meal tastes better with beautiful glasses:-) So glad you like my pottery finds, and no surprise either that I always adore yours:-) I think the wonderful thing about this blogging business, Dana, is the great pool of knowledge that we all add to, I've learnt so much from you all since I started!

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  3. I find the bubble at the bottom of the glasses such a fascinating detail. The fact that you're collecting them piece by piece makes it even more interesting.

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    1. Thanks, Ton! We love that bubble:-) Luckily, the "bubble glasses" are a full set of twelve, collecting Ultima Thule, however, takes a LOOOT of patience...

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  4. I love the elvira so much, the black and pink is a wonderful combination and i find the style so appealing, I can't wait to find some.
    Your table setting looks very inviting. i laughed at your comment about not ironing the napkins. I haven't ironed A THING singe claud was born. We live very rumpled lives here!

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    1. Thanks, Max:-) I love it too, but it's actually the first time I've seen it in thrifts, so I guess collecting it here in Norway would require some patience... I hope you'll have better luck! Great to hear you're not a keen "ironer" either, I don't even buy clothes that require ironing!!

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  5. Imagine if you had set your mind to go thrifting! Great haul. Love the glasses, they are so delicate I am surprised you found 12 in mint condition!
    Elvira is such a lovely pattern, I found a cup a while back and it was purchased really fast. I am not surprised. The name on the plate, could it be the person who did the actual painting on the plate?
    Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge every week!

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    1. Thank you, Bea, that's SO sweet!! And right back at you!! It had been raining that Stavanger morning and the glasses stood there on a table that looked like it could collapse anytime, full of rainwater... I guess it was a very lucky find:-)
      It's actually the first time I've seen an Elvira piece in thrifts over here! I think you may be right about the signature, good thinking:-)

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  6. I love the contrast between the rounded, smooth shine of the Holmegaard glasses and the straight-sided textural quality of the Ultima Thule! Perfect!

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    1. Oh, thank you, I'm so glad you approve!! I kinda liked the combo, but I know many think glasses should match more. I usually go by the "if each look good, they'll be amazing together" philosophy:-)

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  7. You're so knowledgable about pottery Tove. And I think you can mix and match your glassware very easily. I love you new set of glasses - elegant simplicity. And I think you can still get those ball candles at FinnStyle. xx

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    1. Oh, thank you Anita, that's very sweet!! Just learning as I go along, I've learnt so much from you lovely ladies out there, each of us bring our part to the "knowledge pool", that's an amazing part of this blogging business! So glad you like the glasses, and that you approve of the mix:-) I'll check out FinnStyle asap, how wonderful if those candles are still around!! Thanks again! xx

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  8. I love all the pottery you scored! Wish I had your skill and eye for picking 'em out ;D Love everything I see in the background, too!

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Van, and thanks for visiting:-) So glad you like my stuff:-) Stavanger is a thrifting paradise, the home of both Figgjo and Stavangerflint. I grew up with all that pottery, and I'm amazed to see the great interest for it all over the world!
      Thanks again:-)

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  9. Hi, and wow what a lovey bunch of crockery that is. Great research too, quality. And thank you Ikea for those wonderful green napkins, I have a drawful, they compliment our mid century tat so well!

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    1. Oh, thank you SO much, Patsy! that's very sweet, so glad you liked it!! You're spot on about the Ikea napkins:-) They go with almost everything, I know so many people who buy them in bulk! Now they even have them in brown, which is perfect for my Egersund Korulen and the Stavangerflint Finse:-) I don't know what to do if the two of them one day gets discontinued!

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  10. Hei, jeg har et par deler i Elvira, og der står det Turi design stemplet bakpå. For meg ser det ut som om de ikke har fått med hele stempelet - toppen av T'n og prikken over i'en har blitt borte og at Turi derfor har blitt til June.

    Ellers; oppdaget blogen din i dag - og elsker den :-)!

    Hilsen Tone

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  11. Puh!! Så deiligf å få mysteriet løst:-) Takk skal du ha! Å så hyggelig at du likte bloggen min, jeg vil gjerne ta en titt over hos deg også! Du er hjertelig velkommen tilbake:-)

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  12. Hei igjen, det skjer desverre lite på min blogg - men kanskje jeg skal la meg inspirere til å lage noen innlegg igjen. Men, hvis du kikker innom må du se på innlegg skrevet i mars 2011 - det får deg nok til å dra litt på smilebåndet ;-)!

    Nå har jeg i alle fall lest igjennom alle dine innlegg, lært masse og blitt veldig inspirert. Venter spent på nye spennende innlegg :-).

    Hilsen Tone

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    1. Åååå, nå ble jeg glad, Tone!! Så utrolig kjekt at du likte bloggen min!! Nå skal jeg ta for meg hele din også, gleder meg!!! Ja, du MÅ fortsette å skrive! Kjempefin helg til deg:-)

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