On Wednesday 7 November, UK auction house Dreweatts’ is hosting their ‘Contemporary Living’ sale which features a vast range of delectable and delightful items for the home. Of particular significance is their Georg Jensen pieces, which total more than 150 lots. The fascinating history behind Georg Jensen is what marks this brand in luxury, style and quality. Let’s take a look.
Danish silversmith Georg Jensen (1866-1935) began his goldsmith training at the young age of 14. However, four years after his time with the firm Guldsmed Andersen, Jensen chose to follow his artistic pursuits and he enrolled with the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Jensen graduated from the academy in 1982 and thereupon began exhibiting his work. However, although his clay sculpture was well received, the life of an artist proved difficult (namely, the pay, or lack thereof). He subsequently turned to the applied arts, trying his hand as a modeller at the Bing & Grøndahl porcelain factory and starting out in 1898 with a pottery workshop. Yet again, though the work was well received, the sales were not strong enough to support Jensen, at this stage a widower, and his two small sons.
In 1901, Jensen gave up ceramics and began a new career as a silversmith and designer with Mogens Ballin. Three short years later, in 1904, he put all of his capital into opening his own silversmithy.
Combining Jensen’s training in metalsmithing with his education in the fine arts allowed him to intertwine the two disciplines and revive the tradition of artistic craftsmanship. Soon enough, the quality of his art nouveau creations caught the eye of the public and his success was secured.
In 2018, Jensen’s brand remains strong and promises the utmost in quality and design. Dreweatts’ forthcoming auction brings together many exception Georg Jensen pieces, as demonstrated throughout this article.
Also included in Dreweatts’ sale is a number of Louis Vuitton items, including trunks, canvas bags and a leather jewellery case. If you’re after travelling in style, you need not look any further – and with Christmas just around the corner, the holiday season marks the perfect occasion for these monogrammed pieces.
Finally, we finish our quick tour of Drewatts’ catalogue with their Lalique objects. The French crystal brand is the ultimate symbol of luxury, and the auction house is offering up 13 of these high quality pieces. One such example is this green glass vase, sitting at 15.5 cm high. A sure stunning accessory for any coffee table.