Porsgrund Porcelain

The Porsgrund Porcelain Factory (Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik, abbreviated PP) is a porcelain flatware company located at Porsgrunn in Telemark county, Norway.

The company's production plant is a popular tourist attraction. The company was founded by Johan Jeremiassen in 1885 and has produced designs by Norwegian artists.

During his travels, Jeremiassen engaged the German ceramist Carl Maria Bauer in Gotha to construct the new factory. Bauer was a man with considerable experience in the porcelain industry. He had been conducting the construction of similar factories in Germany and Russia. He now started the Porsgrunn factory and was then employed as its first director in May 1887.


In 1886, the factory was completed and the operation could begin. The first burning took place in February 1887.

With the improved economy, the factory could also take greater promise with its artistic quality. In 1901, the Board of Representatives decided to engage Mrs Rose Martin from Copenhagen as an artistic consultant and manager of a new department for underglass painting - a department that for many years under the leadership of the wife enjoyed general recognition for her beautiful products. Mrs. Martin resigned in 1915.


Through Norwegian artists, the factory has applied artistic assistance through the years, thus at Thorolf Holmboe, Gerhard Munthe, Th. Kittelsen, O. Wold Thorne, W. Peters and others and sculptors like Heggelund, Johs. Sirnes and Thorleif Solberg. The Danish painter and sculptor Hans Flygenring was linked to the factory for some years.


As a consequence, production has gained a greater artistic value over the years - not only in the case of decorative items, but also in the case of curative appliances.


In 1928 Mrs Nora Gulbrandsen was employed as an artistic employee – a fortunate hire for the company. Her patterns and shapes have gained flattering attention, and the artistic achievements of the porcelain factory must be said to have gone through a renaissance these years.

Since 1996 the factory has been owned by the Atle Brynestad company CG Holding AS. In contrast to its prosperous history, Porsgrund has since experienced a financial decline. After years of uncertain future, adjustments have been made to increase cost efficiency, by considerable restructuring to the production and sales processes.


Thorolf Holmboe was one of the most important Artists of Porsgrund. His main effort in the Norwegian art industry lies in the works he performed in the period 1906-25 for Porsgrund's Porcelain Factory. During his early years his motifs were mainly taken from the Norwegian Flora and Fauna as well as from Norwegian landscapes. Impulses from his 20th century paintings are reflected in decorations with polar bear motifs from 1909 and later also in drafts of monkeys, elephants, zebras and kakadoes ca. 1915-1920. Holmboe usually took up Norwegian motives, but never attempted to find a Norwegian style expression based on older popular decorative art such as Gerhard Munthe and Oluf Wold-Torne. The decorations for Porsgrund porcelain factory are made in underglaze technology.

More Information on Thorolf Holmboe can be reviewed here

(thank you Jonathan)


Owl vase
Owl vase
Fish & Jellyfish Vase
Fish & Jellyfish Vase
HG - Elk Vase
HG - Elk Vase
TH - Eider Ducks
TH - Eider Ducks

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1508

Height:                      63.5 cm

Diameter:                  23 cm

Motif:                         Eider Ducks

Remarks:                  Was a Vase lamp (drilled)

                                  This Vase lamp is shown on page 67 of

                                  "Porsgrunds Porcelaensfabrik" by Alf Boe.

                                   Picture of the Porsgrund Salesroom in

                                   Kristiania 1914.

KRC0306

TH - Shell Vase
TH - Shell Vase
Fish Vase
Fish Vase
Nest with Gannets
Nest with Gannets
Walrus vase
Walrus vase
Elk with fern and mushroom vase
Elk with fern and mushroom vase
Shells and seaweed
Shells and seaweed
Flower vase
Flower vase
Porsgrund art nouveau vase
Porsgrund art nouveau vase
Porsgrund flower vase
Porsgrund flower vase
Porsgrund shell vase
Porsgrund shell vase
Porsgrund eagle vase
Porsgrund eagle vase
Owl vase
Owl vase

Vase model:            1960

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  unknown 1911-1925

Unique Number:       none

Height:                      38 cm

Diameter:                  20 cm

Motif:                         Owl flying at night

Remarks:                  marks 1960/4/e.

KRC0303

Fish & Jellyfish Vase
Fish & Jellyfish Vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: unknown

Height:                      28 cm

Diameter:                  16.5 cm

Motif:                         Fish and jellyfish

Remarks:                  Vase lamp (hole foreseen), with lid

KRC0304

HG - Elk Vase
HG - Elk Vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Halvdan Gran

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: 1986/114/34e

Height:                      70 cm

Diameter:                  30 cm

Motif:                         No. 114, Elk and cow elk

Remarks:                  Vase lamp, with lid

KRC0305

TH - Eider Ducks
TH - Eider Ducks
TH - Eider Ducks
TH - Shell Vase
TH - Shell Vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1508

Height:                      63.5 cm

Diameter:                  23 cm

Motif:                         Shells and algae

Remarks:                  Was a Vase lamp (drilled)

KRC1149

Fish Vase
Fish Vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1986 (1986/70a)

Height:                      28 cm

Diameter:                  14 cm

Motif:                         Fish and water plants

Remarks:                 

KRC0307

Nest with Gannets
Nest with Gannets

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1512, decoration no 36

Height:                      45 cm

Diameter:                  15 cm

Motif:                         Nest with young gannet

Remarks:                  Vase Lamp, drilled.

KRC0308

Walrus vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1991, decoration no 85

Height:                      16.5 cm

Diameter:                  17.5 cm

Motif:                         Walrus

Remarks:                  

KRC0309

Elk with fern and mushroom vase
Elk with fern and mushroom vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1913, decoration no 21 (prob.)

Height:                      42 cm

Diameter:                  22 cm

Motif:                         Elks with fern and mushroom

Remarks:                  

KRC0310

Shells and seaweed

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1695, decoration no 46

Height:                      17 cm

Diameter:                  10.5 cm

Motif:                         Shells and seaweed

Remarks:                  

KRC0311

Flower vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  1887 - 1911

Production Number: Vase shape 1721?, decoration unknown

Height:                      43.5 cm

Diameter:                  29.5 cm

Motif:                         Flowers

Remarks:                  

KRC0312

Porsgrund art nouveau vase

Artist Vase Design:  Georg Andreas Heggelund

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1679, "1679-302e"

Height:                      22.5 cm

Diameter:                  8.5 cm

Motif:                         Flowers

Remarks:                  Vase with drop like handles.

KRC0313

Porsgrund flower vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     unknown

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 302

Height:                      7 cm

Diameter:                  7 cm

Motif:                         Flowers

Remarks:                 

KRC0314

Porsgrund shell vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: illegible

Height:                      30.5 cm

Diameter:                  12 cm

Motif:                         Vase with shells and seaweed

Remarks:                  

KRC1238

Porsgrund eagle vase

Artist Vase Design:  unknown

Artist Decoration:     Thorolf Holmboe

Date of Production:  1911 - 1937

Production Number: Vase shape 1986, decoration no 62 (prob.)

                                  1986/62/19e

Height:                      45.5 cm

Diameter:                  22.5 cm

Motif:                         Eagle vase

Remarks:                  

KRC1237

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