RC Faience and Stoneware Vases and Jars

Royal Copenhagen and Alumina ceramics, stoneware and faience vases

The Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Factory (Royal Copenhagen) has produced many vases in stoneware, ceramic and faience throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The vases and other items in stoneware and ceramic, have been out of fashion for a period, but is now quietly returning in interior design. More and more young people will appreciate the inherited pieces or buy used vases in stoneware and faience. The style provides a beautiful and cozy contrast to the modern interior design.

Royal Copenhagen and Alumina faience vases

A Royal Copenhagen faiace vase can have many colours - unlike the Royal Copenhagen porcelain vases, which are often produced with light blue background, the colours of Royal Copenhagen faience vases are more nuanced. The vases are either completely plain or have decorations in various colours. One of the most famous series is the Tenera series from Alumina, which had its start in the early 1960s. At that time, the Alumina factory was in a bad period with too little sales and as an attempt to save the factory, the directions hired six young Scandinavian women to create a modern series. The artists put their own stamp on the decoration, while the shapes of the faience vases, bowls, etc. were the same. the Tenera series was a success and subsequently introduced new models. The series is known for its strong blue colours and imaginative motifs. As you learn to know Tenera fainece, you can gradually also recognize the artists from each other. Tenera faience was produced until the mid-1980s and the six original artists were:

Berte Jessen (BJ), Denmark
Inge-Lise Koefoed (IK), Denmark
Kari Christensen, CK, Norway
Grete Helland-Hansen (GHH), Norway
Beth Breyern (BB), Norway
Marianne Johnson (MJ), Sweden

In addition to the blue Tenera style, there was also produced another popular style in brown and few blue colors, namely the Baca series. Baca faience is more bombastic in its appearance. The artists behind the Baca style is:

Nils Thorsson (NT)
Johanne Gerber (JG)
Ellen Malmer (EM)
Beth Breyen (BB)
Inge-Lise Koefoed (IK)
Anne Marie Trolle (MT)
Ivan Weiss (IW)

The plain coloured lines in orange and delicate green is crackled faience.

Royal Copenhagen Stoneware

Royal Copenhagen has manufactured some vases in stoneware, often with relief motifs of birds, ducks, deer and other animals. Royal Copenhagen stopped the manufacturing of stoneware in 1985. There is also produced many figures in stoneware. It is difficult to talk about "stoneware" without to mention one of the major stoneware artists, Knud Kyhn (KK), who is known for his figurines, vases and bowls in stoneware, mainly with motifs of animals, such as bears.