A Private Collection of Danish Porcelain
Focus on Uniques of the Art Nouveau
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
19 items