Heron Service

Bing&Gröndahl Heron Service

Pietro Krohn


"Pietro Købke Krohn was painter, illustrator and museum director. Krohn was born 23.01.1840 in Copenhagen and died 15.10.1905in Copenhagen.  His parents were the sculturer  Medalist Frederik Christopher Krohn and Sophie Susanne Dorothea Købke. On  01.12.1881 Krohn married Emilie Juliane Bull in Copenhagen. She was born  11.09.1841 in Copenhagen and died 12.01.1910 at Frederiksberg. She was the daughter of  the General Directora Carl Ludvig Bull and Augusta Emilie Gerson.


Pietro Krohn worked until 1880 mainly as a painter and etcher, but also painted later sporadically, especially landscapes. In the circle around him the young artists like Hans Friis, August Jerndorff and Otto Haslund were active, just as Krohn was a close friend of Julius Lange. With the last two, he undertook a study trip to Germany and the Netherlands to familiarize themselves with modern reproductive techniques. During his stay in Italy around the mid-1870s he was a member held by the Danish artist colony, which included Th. Bindesbøll, Hans Friis, Otto Haslund, Axel Helsted, Carl Thomsen and Kr. Zahrtmann.  Contact with the artistic community, he maintained later through its membership of the Association "Literal unit", a radical group of artists and intellectuals who gathered for meetings 1880-82. Krohn is said to have been the originator of the idea to found this association. As a book illustrator Krohn achieved largest prevalence with his children's books, preferably Peters Jul whose popularity has remained to the present day. During his absolutely innovative time at Bing & Grondahl  he generated the Heron service, inspired by Chinese and Japanese art and anticipates with its decorative alignment Art Nouveau style. For the decoration of the service he had Effie Hegermann and Fanny Garde in her early days. Krohn managed the Museums Creation and later management vigorously, where his considerable administrative abilities came into their own.


Student 1859; Arts Academy Copenhagen (W. Marstrand, J. Roed and P.C. Skovgaard) 1860-67; participated in the war of 1864 as an officer cadet, later as a lieutenant; began travels 1868


Krohn travelled to Germany and the Netherlands in 1871 (S. M. Otto Haslund and Julius Lange); Italy 1872-78 (Rome, Rocca di Papa and Anti Coli) and later, the last time around 1904; Paris 1878.


Krohns occupations were: Commissioner by the the department of exhibition in Paris in 1878; teach drawing and Arts Industry School  for Women 1879-86; costume designer at the Royal Theatre in 1880; economy inspector Jugendstil. 1880-93; opera director Jugendstil. 1885-93; inspector, later artistic director of Bing & Grondahl 1885-92, later msg. of the company's best .; msg. of Kunstindustrimus. ' First Committee at its founding in 1890 (conducted the unpaid purchases); dir. for Kunstindustrimus. from 1893 until his death......"


Iinformation source: Kunstindex Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon

Heron Meat Plate
Heron Meat Plate
Heron Meat Plate
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Plate #1

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  - "! N" or "!H", gold deco "W.M"

Date of Production:  1914-1915

Production Number: none

Height:                      3 cm (flat plate)

Diameter:                  24.3 cm

Motif:                         Heron pair with rich gold decortion

Remarks:                 

KRC0211

Deep Heron Plate
Heron Plate #4

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  - scratched "N"

Date of Production:  1888-1895

Production Number: none

Height:                      3 cm (flat plate)

Diameter:                  23.6 cm

Motif:                         Heron pair with very rich gold decortion

Remarks:                 

KRC0213

Heron Plate #5
Heron Plate Simple
Heron Salt Shaker
Heron Salt Shaker
Heron Mustard Pot
Heron Mustard Pot
Heron Salt Cellar
Heron Salt Cellar
Heron Dish
Heron Dish
Heron Centerpiece Foot
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Tea Cup
Heron Tea Cup
Heron Tea Mustard Pot
Heron Tea Mustard Pot
Heron Pale - soup plate
Heron Pale - flat dinner plate

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      3 cm

Diameter:                  23.8 cm

Motif:                         Pale Heron pattern dinner plate

Remarks:                  

KRC1171

Heron Meat Plate
Heron Meat Plate

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1888-1895

Production Number: none

Height:                      5 cm

Width:                       50.5 cm

Depth:                       40 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern Meat Plate

Remarks:                  The Clay Museum has Watercolor drawings

                                  and one of them is depecting exactly this

                                  motif - around 1885. Very early example of

                                  this outstanding piece of art nouveau

                                  porcelain. Picture of the painting above

                                  with kind permission of the CLAY Museum

KRC0209.

Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown (should be Effie Hegermann or 

                                 Fanny Garde)

Date of Production:  1888 - 1892

Production Number: none

Height:                      9 cm

Diameter:                  12 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern 

Remarks:                  Very early execution

KRC0210, KRC1195

Heron Plate #1

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  - scratched "N"

Date of Production:  1888-1895

Production Number: none

Height:                      4.5 cm (deep plate)

Diameter:                  23.7 cm

Motif:                         Heron with very rich gold decortion

Remarks:                 

KRC0212

Deep Heron Plate
Heron Plate #4

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  - "! E"

Date of Production:  1914-15

Production Number: none

Height:                      3 cm (flat plate)

Diameter:                  24.3 cm

Motif:                         Heron pair with very gold decortion

Remarks:                 

KRC1158

Heron Plate #5

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  -  "H"

Date of Production:  1915-1948

Production Number: none

Height:                      3 cm (flat plate)

Diameter:                  21.2 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern plate without heron display

Remarks:                 

KRC0214

Heron Plate Simple
Heron Salt Shaker

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  -  "H"

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      13.5 cm

Diameter:                  7 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern Salt Shaker

Remarks:                 

KRC0215

Heron Mustard Pot

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  -  "H"

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      12.5 cm

Diameter:                  9.5 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern Mustard lidded Pot

Remarks:                 

KRC0216

Heron Salt Cellar

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      9 cm

Width:                       14 cm

Depth:                       7.5 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern Salt Cellar

Remarks:                 

KRC0217

Heron Dish

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      4 cm

Width:                       17.5 cm

Depth:                       16 cm

Motif:                         Pale Heron pattern Serving Dish

Remarks:                 

KRC0218

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      14 cm

Diameter:                  24 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern stand for huge centerpiece

Remarks:                  No gold decoration

KRC0219

Heron Centerpiece Foot
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer
Heron Mocca Cup and Saucer

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown (should be Effie Hegermann or 

                                 Fanny Garde for the saucer)

Date of Production:  Cups: unknown 1915-?, Saucer ca. 1888-

                                 1892

Production Number: none

Height:                      9 cm

Diameter:                  12 cm

Motif:                         Heron pattern 

Remarks:                  Very early blue saucer and later pale cups

KRC0220, KRC0221, KRC0222

Heron Tea Cup

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      7,5 cm

Width:                       13 cm

Depth:                       10 cm

Motif:                         Pale Heron pattern Tea Cup

Remarks:                 

KRC0223

Heron Tea Mustard Pot

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown  -  "O"

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      12.5 cm

Diameter:                  9.5 cm

Motif:                         Pale Heron pattern Mustard Pot

Remarks:                  Lid is missing

KRC0224

Artist Design:           Pietro Krohn

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  unknown 1915-?

Production Number: none

Height:                      4.5 cm

Diameter:                  22 cm

Motif:                         Pale Heron pattern Soup plate

Remarks:                  

KRC0225

Heron Pale - soup plate
Heron Pale - flat dinner plate

19 items


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