Jacob Prytz (12 June 1886 – 23 November 1962) was a Norwegian goldsmith and designer.

Personal life

Prytz was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...

on 12 June 1886, a son of architect, goldsmith and politician

Torolf Prytz Torolf Prytz (26 December 1858 – 16 June 1938) was a Norwegian architect, goldsmith and politician for the Liberal Party. He led the goldsmith company ''J. Tostrup'' of Oslo from 1890 to 1938, having inherited it from his grandfather-in-law ...

and Hilda Tostrup. He married Ingerid Juel in 1912, and they were parents of

Grete Prytz Kittelsen Grete Prytz Kittelsen (born Adelgunde Margrethe Prytz, June 28, 1917, Oslo, died September 25, 2010, Oslo), was a Norwegian goldsmith, enamel artist, and designer. She is one of the most well-known Norwegians in the Scandinavian Design movement ...

Career

Prytz studied at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design () was established in 1818. In 1996, the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo'', KHiO), along with the Norwegian National Academy of ...

from 1904 to 1908, and further at the academy in

Hanau Hanau () is a city in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its railway Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ma ...

and at the

Beaux-Arts de Paris The (), formally the (), is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level fine arts education and training. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is located on two sites: Saint-G ...

. From 1913 he was artistic director in the family company

J. Tostrup J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered bet ...

. He designed major parts of the company's collection at the

1914 Jubilee Exhibition The 1914 Jubilee Exhibition took place in Oslo, Kristiania, Norway, from May 5 to October 11, 1914. It marked the centennial anniversary of the Norway in 1814, 1814 Constitution of Norway, constitution and focused on industry and agriculture. The m ...

, and this exhibition is regarded as his breakthrough as goldsmith. From 1914 he was assigned as teacher for the goldsmith class at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry. He was appointed director of the academy from 1934 to 1956 (with the title rector from 1945). He was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1931, and was awarded the

Jacob Prize The Jacob Prize () is an annual award presented to an active Norwegian architect, artist, craftsman, or designer who has made a lasting contribution to their field. The award is Norway's highest design award. Since 2014, DOGA has presented the a ...

in 1957. He died in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

on 15 November 1986.

References

1886 births 1962 deaths People from Oslo Norwegian goldsmiths Norwegian jewellery designers Norwegian educators Oslo National Academy of the Arts alumni Academic staff of the Oslo National Academy of the Arts {{norway-bio-stub