Here in New York City the Winter White has finally melted—revealing mysterious brown layers of indeterminate origin (buried since the first snowfall weeks ago). Though that image is distasteful, I thought the Bode Willumsen vessel, pictured above, also captured the notion of a Mud Season—albeit in a natural, graceful, and more romantic manner. Made for Royal Copenhagen in Denmark and date marked 1929, it is a rare example of a studio piece made by a workshop better-known for its larger production runs. The organic and complex glazings—where one color appears to melt away, revealing another buried layer—give the voluptuous form an earthy aesthetic.
Bode Bertel Willum Willumsen, a sculptor, painter and ceramicist, was the son of Jens Willumsen, also an artist. He lived from 1895 to 1987 and both operated his own studio and designed pieces for larger workshops (like Royal Copenhagen).
Please come into the shop to see this piece in-person or click on the photo above to learn more about it.
After the White comes the Brown and after the Brown comes the Green. Can Spring be very far off?