Pre-Lot Text
Georg Jensen (1866-1935)
Trained as a sculptor and silversmith, Georg Jensen opened his shop on a fashionable street in Copenhagen in 1904, selling jewellery made of silver and semi-precious stones. Hollowware designs soon followed, incorporating myriad floral motifs, such as his now classic Blossom and Grape patterns. Jensen's early and continued collaboration with other designers, such as Johan Rohde and Harald Neilsen, helped develop the Jensen brand and pushed the firm to stylistic leadership. This association with innovative designers was the key to the firm's success.
By 1924, financial reversals ended Jensen's tenure running the firm and he moved to Paris where he established an independent silver workshop. He returned to Copenhagen in 1926, and assumed the role of artistic director. During the last ten years of his life, Jensen worked largely from his home workshop and his influence at the firm was limited. While some of his later work demonstrates a functionalist approach, most work put into production demonstrates his continued affection for naturalistic design.