Fantastic and rare teapot by Gutte Eriksen - Denmark, Danish studio, art pottery

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Fantastic and rare teapot by Gutte Eriksen - Denmark, Danish studio, art pottery:
$203.50

This sale is a RARE opportunity to obtain astunning teapot designed, thrown and glazed by legendary Danish ceramist GutteEriksen at her studio in Hundested.

For more info on Gutte Eriksen, please scroll downfurther.

The teapot measures H14 x W17.5 cm (H5.5” x W6.9”)incl. lid, sprout and handle.

It’s unmarked but tell me, did you have any doubt ofits origin when you first saw the teapot? Many pieces by Gutte are unmarked andI have several in my own collection.

The teapot has a small chip to the knob on the lid (zoomin on picture #10). Otherwise it’s in mint condition with no signs of wearinside or outside.

Shipping this piece by air as regular mail is either$15 (Europe) or $24 (rest of the world). Regular mail is no different thansending an ordinary letter meaning that neither track & trace or insuranceare included, though I always keep the receipt as proof of shipping. Worldwidetrack & trace can however be added for only $14 regardless of yourlocation. Insurance is also possible but not for all countries so if you’reinterested in this service please ask for further details before offerding. Ifyou wish to purchase several pieces at once, I can almost always providecombined shipping. Just tell me your zip code and which particular piecesyou’re interested in and I’ll get back to you with a quote. I use the cheapestcurrier available on the Danish market and have only positive experiences toshow.

I take great pride in making sure that any purchaseditem will 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 that’s been damaged due to inferior packing. I do mybest not to put any of my customers in that unpleasant position. My recipe issimply but effective. Every item sold will be enclosed throughout thick layersof bubble wrap, then packed in a sturdy cardboard box filled with packingchips. Finally, all surfaces of the box are reinforced with extra strong andbrightly colored tape saying FRAGILEhopefully ensuring 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 tohelp you – just ask :)

Please take a look at my other sales for morevintage Scandinavian design pieces.

Thank you for your time.

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Gutte Agnete Trude Eriksen was born on the 20thNovember, 1918 in the small town of Rødby. Her father, Erik, was the county’svicar while her mother, Louise, was a magister. As a young girl coming from asmall town, Gutte was sent to an all female housekeeping school by her parentswhich was a common practice of the day. Afterwards, being old enough to decidefor herself, Gutte decided to enroll at the Drawing And Craft School For Womenwith the intention of designing clothes. Though a mere coincidence would soonhave Gutte change her educational direction. One day a lady visiting herparents’ house proudly told them about her niece studying at the newly formedceramic line at the School Of Arts & Crafts in Copenhagen. This casualconversation immediately caught the interest of Gutte and she changed school in1936. Gutte graduated from the School Of Arts & Crafts in 1939, havingspent all three previous summer vacations at Kähler in Næstved. Such dedicationearned quickly earned her a high level of skill, and even a year before hergraduation, Gutte was already exhibiting sensational work at the legendaryArtists’ Fall Exhibition. For this particular exhibition she’d been deeplyinspired by some ancient jars on display at the Danish National Museum and Gutte’sadmiration with these old, archetypical pieces with stay with her for manydecades.

As WW2 roared on and the number of restrictions rose,there was a steadily rising demand for old-fashioned, study appliances for usein everyday life. The otherwise blooming Danish ceramic scene had suffered asevere blow after the German invasion with esp. coal and minerals soon beingimpossible to supply, though to make ends meet, many ceramists joined forces inshared studios selling pots, jars and other practical vessels. Gutte formedsuch a studio with Åse Feilberg and Christian Frederiksen in 1941 beforeopening her own studio in 1942 in an a closed fruit- and can factory. The sameyear Gutte exhibited in Stockholm and as the show travelled to Copenhagen, shesold her first piece to the Danish Design Museum’s permanent collection.

After the war it became possible again to traveloutside Denmark, and Gutte travelled to England in 1948 to work with therenowned British potter, Bernard Leach in St. Ives, Cornwall. Bernard’smoderate principles concerning shape, decoration and choice of materials provedto be highly influential on Gutte, even though her stay only lasted two months,and they formed a lifelong friendship. Gutte then continued her trip to the twomost important ceramic centers in France of the time, Vassil Ivanoff in LaBorne and Pierre-Joseph Lion in Sankt Armand.

After these trips, Gutte spent the summer of 1951 atNymølle where she worked with Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad on creating aceramic set for drinking mocha. Gutte then spent a few years with Danishceramist Felix Møhl exploring the traditional Danish pottery before the need towork independently returned. She’d married artist Preben Hansen in 1951 and thecouple bought an old school in 1953, fully renovating it and creating aseparate studio for them both. In these years Gutte became a pioneer of Danishpottery and gradually rose to becoming a significant figure, both nationallyand internationally. Always working by hand on the thrower’s wheel, she quicklyfavored a high-fired kind of pottery with a lava-like surface. From 1948 she’dabandoned all exterior decoration on her work and from 1955 and onwards, Gutteused only one single glaze. It was introduced to her by British ceramistMichael Gill who’d stayed with Gutte for a month in 1950, though this glazeprovided just the right texture along with a very large range of colors andexpressions.

In 1970 and 1973, Gutte travelled to Japan withBernard Leach and was profoundly struck by the country’s old stoneware culture.Much of her work since is directly inspired by the traditional sake-cup, teabowl, water jug etc.

In the decades that followed, Gutte exhibited allaround the globe with major solo exhibitions in Sweden, Germany, France, GreatBritain and USA. Several important institutions hired her as a lecturer andbeing a tireless educational force with strong esthetical values, her teachingsinspired numerous contemporary Danish ceramists with this influence still beingclearly evident. Today, the work of Gutte can be found in the collections ofcountless international museums.