Georg Jensen silver collection set to shine
One of the largest single-owner collections of Georg Jensen silver to come on the market in recent years has been consigned to Cotswold auctioneers Kinghams and will come up for auction on May 14.
The curated collection comprises fifty lots of choice pieces from the Danish master silversmith, showcasing the design credentials and manufacturing skills of this sought-after maker. It was built up over thirty years by a UK-based private connoisseur. The collection coming up at Kinghams showcases a cross-section of his work, such as flatware, barware, writing accessories, lighting, hollowware, and even a timepiece.
Highlights include a Harald Nielsen-designed model 462B silver cocktail shaker designed in 1925, estimated at £3,000-5,000. Elsewhere, a monumental Johan Rohde-designed silver model 250B Queens silver footed bowl designed in 1917 and measuring 32.5cm high has an estimate of £10,000-15,000; while a rare desk timepiece model 596 designed by Johan Rohde in the Art Deco style, has hopes of £10,000-15,000. Perhaps the most spectacular item on offer is a Skonvirke silver model 383A Grape pattern five-branch candelabrum designed in 1915. Known affectionately amongst collectors as the ‘Octopus’ candlestick, it carries an estimate of £12,000-15,000.
Georg Arthur Jensen (1866-1935) was a Danish silversmith and the son of a knife grinder who began his training as a goldsmith whilst in his teens and created his first piece of jewellery in 1899, and in 1904 opened his small silversmithy. Jensen embraced the Art Nouveau style of the day and later the modernist lines of the Art Deco movement. By the late 1920s he had opened retail stores in Europe and New York, where his products were admired and acquired by the fashionable elite. He employed the talents of leading designers of the day, such as Johan Rohde, Sigvard Bernadotte, and Harald Nielsen. Today, he is celebrated as one of the leading lights in Danish design, with work in museums such as the Danish Museum for Decorative Arts. The company is still in operation today, a testament to the longevity of the quality and craftsmanship of its founder.
