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This sale is for an insanely rare pelican figure designedby Kjell Jordan and made at the Danish ceramic studio of Palshus.
This pelican is possibly the rarest production piece from Palshus.In my many years of collection Scandinavian stoneware I’ve only seen it 4times. One is in my mother’s ceramic collection, one belongs to a fellow Danishcollector, one was recently sold from the most expensive vintage design shop inCopenhagen and one resides in the permanent collection of Danish stoneware atVejen Art Museum. Besides from its rarity, it’s simply also a masterful sculpturalinterpretation of a pelican and it will surely grace any collection or interior.
The pelican measures H17 x L10 x W5,5 cm (approx H6.7” x L3.9”x W2.2”).
It’s clearly marked on the bottom.
The condition is excellent with no damage and only lightsigns of wear, however I’d like to mention to things. One, there’s a small impurityin the glaze on the left side of the tail. Two, as you can see in the last twopictures, there are some unevenness on the bottom rim. While it might look likenicks, it originates from the production of the figure where a tiny amount ofclay must have stuck to the cast.
Shipping this piece worldwide by air as regular mail is $20.
Regular mail is no different than sending an ordinary lettermeaning that neither track & trace or insurance are included, though Ialways keep the receipt as proof of shipping. Worldwide track & trace canbe added for only $14 regardless of your location. Insurance is also possiblebut not for all countries so if you’re interested in this service please askfor further details before offerding. If you wish to purchase several pieces atonce, I can almost always provide combined shipping. Just tell me your zip codeand which particular pieces you’re interested in, and I’ll get back to you witha quote. I use the cheapest currier available on the Danish market and haveonly positive experiences to show.
I take great pride in making sure that any purchased itemwill arrive 100% intact to the winning buyer. As a collector myself, I’verepeatedly experienced the awful disappointment of waiting anxiously for weeksonly to receive an item damaged due to inferior packing. I do my best not toput any of my customers in that position. My recipe is simply but effective.Every item sold will be enclosed throughout in thick layers of bubble wrap andthen packed in a sturdy cardboard box filled with packing chips. Finally, allsurfaces of the box are reinforced with extra strong and brightly coloured tapesaying FRAGILE in hope of a safe trip. Pieces that are particularly delicate orvaluable will be double boxed. All items have been washed and cleanedextensively before being offered for sale.
If you have any questions I’ll be more than happy to helpyou – just ask :)
Please take a look at my other sales for more vintageScandinavian design pieces.
Thank you for your time.
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The story of Palshus starts with Per Ingvard Henrik WulffLinnemann, born in 1912 as son of Danish sculptor Willie Wulff. Per’s last nameof Schmidt was added by his step father at the age of 6. After studying at EmilRannow’s Art School, Per attended the legendary and important School of Artsand Crafts in Copenhagen. Here, he trained as a sculptor from 1932-35 undersupervision of the highly influential Danish sculptor and artist, EinarUtzon-Frank. However, Per had already debuted as a sculptor in 1932 at TheArtists’ Fall Exhibition and would run his own atelier specializing in portraitsculptures on Bredgade, Copenhagen throughout the 1930’s-40’s. He drew mainlyon inspiration from the works of Aristide Maillol, Charles Despiaus and ancientRome, and gained success in depicting many notable Danes. Per’s first ventureinto the world of ceramics came in 1947-49 where he’d rented a studio at theDanish ceramic factory of Eslau in Sengeløse. Besides concentrating on his ownproduction, Per also designed a coffee set for Eslau. Feeling the need forcomplete independence, Palshus was started in Sengeløse in 1949 with his wifeAnnelise Linnemann-Schmidt (org. Sprechler). The name Palshus derives fromtheir names, Per & Annelise Linnemann-Schmidt, while the added “hus” meanshouse in Danish. Descendants of Per and Annelise told in a Danish article in2009 that the name Palshus was actually coined by a English friend of thecouple visiting their house in 1945.
Per continuously designed most of the ceramic productionhimself, while Annelise ran the business, although other artist were alsoinvited to contribute. World-famous Danish designer, Jens Harald Quistgaard,who Per met during his time at Eslau, seemed to have been involved with Palshusfrom the start getting a tea pot produced by the studio already in 1951. Later,other artists joined in like Frode Bahnsen, Kjeld Jordan, Erik Cohrt, BillyEberlein and Cuban-American sculptor Hugo de Soto. Large solo exhibitions wereheld in 1954 and 1957, and while the quality of the craftsmanship was obvious,the latter exhibition sparked a debate in various magazines about Palshus’close artistic relationship with their main competitor, Saxbo. The debate’soutput was not deemed in favour of Palshus, though it eventually ended when Pertook Palshus’ artistic language into a more independent direction creatingheavy and rustic stoneware with mostly incised geometric decorations covered bythick, glossy and colourful glazes. Per became a board member for 8 years inthe highly influential department store, Den Permanente, which exhibited allthe great Danish designers of the time and was well respected internationally.Annelise also joined the board but sadly, she lost her life in a violent carcrash in 1969. Palshus closed in 1972 and Per returned to making portraitsculptures along side running the family’s farm. He passed away in 1999.
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About me: I’ve been collecting Danish stoneware since I was15. That’s nearly 20 years ago. Before that I collected Danish art glass butafter a few years, I started yearning for more texture, more mass and more materialvariation. Stoneware seemed as the obvious choice. As a collector I’m lucky to have always livedjust north of Copenhagen which is an area where many important ceramicfactories of the post-war era resided, fx Saxbo, Palshus and Nymølle, not tomention countless private studios like Patrick Nordström, Conny Walther andJørgen Mogensen. And then there’s Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl inthe centre of Copenhagen which are only half and hour’s drive away. Asthe area north of Copenhagen is also the richest in the country, there’s a veryhigh density of vintage design in people’s homes which I’ve experienced from treasurehunting at local fleamarkets every weekend for nearly two decades. I’ve buildquite a collection through the years but having nearly 1000 vases, bowls andfigures proved to much in the end, so I’ve been cleaning out through the yearswith the plan of settling only with the pieces that I couldn’t imagine livingwithout. With every listing now I’m getting very close to meeting my target.
