Den Kongelige Porcelænsfabrik - later Royal Copenhagen - was founded 1775. In 1882 the faience factory Aluminia and Royal Copenhagen merged, and in 1884 the architect Arnold Krogh was hired as artistic director. This set off which is referred to as the company's heyday. It continued until 1985, when the stoneware production stopped. This is the period which interests us. A very wide range of stoneware artists put lasting mark on the Scandinavian Art and craft movement.
Aluminia a faiance adventure
Aluminia was under financial pressure, so they hired six artists to turn the tide. The artists created the very successful faiance series Tenera. The series was produced until the mid-1980s. The artists behind the success were Berte Jessen, Inge-Lise Kofoed, Kari Christensen, Marianne Johnson, Beth Breyern and Gretel Heiland-Hansen. Another equally successful series was BACA which were created by seven artists: Niels Thorsson, Johanne Gerber, Ellen Malmer, Ivan Weiss, Anne Marie Trolle, Inge-Lise Kofoed and Beth Breyen. About 200 objects belong to the BACA line, and together with the Tenera line, they have become very collectible for many people.
Focus on the art of Glaze
The stoneware department of Royal Copenhagen was recognized by the high technical quality - and especially the development of exciting new glazes, which were the result of close collaboration between artists and engineers. The list of artists is very long and we only mention a few: Carl Halier, Jais Nielsen, Niels Thosson, Helge Christoffersen, Gertrud Vasegaard, Bente Hansen, Knud Kyhn, Bode Willumsen, Mogensen, Eva Stæhr-Nielsen, Patrick Norstrøm, Gerhard Henning, Axel Salto, Johannes Hedegaard and Ivan Weis. There are many more, and even more when considering the potters working freelance for Royal Copenhagen during this period.
