NILS THORSSON ROYAL COPENHAGEN SOLFATARA GLAZED STONEWARE VESSEL | MID 20TH CENTURY

A marvelous Nils Thorsson solfatara glazed stoneware long-necked vessel with handle. The vessel was manufactured by Royal Copenhagen, and is a factory 1st. The vessel is marked with Royal Copenhagen's blue stamp, dated 1969-1973 (dot under G in Copenhagen) and has Nils Thorsson's monogram incised. This is model number 20474 in the RC's stoneware catalogue.

Condition: The vessel is in excellent condition, with no defects of any kind. It has some glaze bubbles and unevenness in the glaze, as solfatara pieces often have.

Dimensions: The vessel is 17.5cm high (approx. 7 inches).

Nils Thorsson (1898-1975) was a Swedish-Danish ceramic artist and designer, who created a prolific body of work for the ceramics manufacturer Royal Copenhagen. His work is often presented as a case study of mid-century Danish modernism and is praised in the field of ceramic design.

Nils Thorsson was born in Eslöv, Sweden in 1898. At the age of thirteen he apprenticed at the Aluminia Factory in Copenhagen, before studying at and graduating from the Royal Danish Academy in 1917. In 1928, he was appointed Artistic Director of Aluminia, a post which he held for forty-one years.  When Aluminia purchased Royal Copenhagen in 1949, Thorsson stayed on as Artistic Director of the merged company, leading a team of talented designers which included Beth Breyen, Kari Christensen, Johanne Gerber, Grete Helland-Hansen, Berte Jessen, Marianne Johnson, Inge-Lise Koefoed, Ellen Malmer, Ivan Weiss, among others.

Thorsson’s work as a designer varied greatly thematically, from the naturalistic featuring birds, fish, and butterfly motifs, to the abstract and geometric. During his time at Royal Copenhagen, Thorsson was the factory's most prolific designer, designing at least five of the best known production ranges for the company including Solberg (1930s), Marselis (Aluminia, 1950s), Tenera (1960s), Baca (1960s) and Diana (1970s), as well as many other pieces in glazes that are lesser known and harder to find. Both the Baca and Tenera production lines featured forms designed by Thorsson himself, while others were a team effort.

Thorsson passed away in 1975 in Copenhagen.