Kähler Keramik (Kähler Ceramics) is a Danish ceramics manufacturer based in
Næstved
Næstved () is a town in Næstved Municipality, the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in Denmark.
Næstved has several adult education centers, five Primary education, elemen ...
on the island of
Zealand
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
.
History
Joachim Christian Herman Kähler (1808–84) from
Heiligenhafen
Heiligenhafen (; Holsatian: ''Hilligenhaven'') is a town in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, opposite the island Fehmarn, approx. 60 km northeast of Lübeck, and 55 km ...
in the
Duchy of Holstein
The Duchy of Holstein (; ) was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It originated when King Christian I of Denmark had his County of Holstein-Rendsburg elevated to a duchy ...
established himself as a potter in Næstved in 1839, producing heating stoves, cooking pots and kitchenware. His son,
Herman A. Kähler (1846-1917), together with his younger brother Carl Frederik Kähler, took over the running of the factory in 1872.
Carl became responsible for producing
faience
Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...
while Herman specialized in manufacturing tiled stoves. In 1875, after Carl withdrew and the original factory had burnt down, Herman built a new factory on the town's outskirts where he produced both stoves and pottery.
Inspired by
Vilhelm Klein
Vilhelm Klein (6 March 1835 – 10 February 1913) was a Danish architect who adopted the Historicist approach, frequently emulating the so-called Rosenborg style and the Italian Renaissance style.
Early life
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, as the ...
, Herman A. Kähler started to experiment with more appealing designs with glazed finishes. In 1886, he succeeded in attracting the artists
H. A. Brendekilde,
L.A. Ring and Carl O.J. Lund.
Kähler became interested in obtaining the red lustre glaze known as
maiolica
Maiolica is tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background. The most renowned Italian maiolica is from the Renaissance period. These works were known as ''istoriato'' wares ("painted with stories") when depicting historical and ...
which had been produced in
Gubbio
Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines.
History Prehistory
The ol ...
, Italy, in the 16th century. In 1888 he succeeded, developing the now famous ruby glaze known as Kähler red.
[ The designer Karl Hansen Reistrup (1863–1929) soon joined the enterprise, assisting in the production of finely formed, artistically decorated items, especially vases.][ Thanks to Reistrup's designs, Kähler's ceramics achieved considerable success both at the Great Nordic Exhibition held in Copenhagen in 1888 and at the Exposition Universelle held the following year in Paris.][ After Herman A. Kähler died in 1917, his son Hans Christian assumed responsibility for the company benefiting from the involvement of painters Signe Steffensen and Tulle Emborg. ]Svend Hammershøi
Svend Hammershøi (10 August 1873 – 27 February 1948) was a Danish painter and ceramist.Sigurd Schultz: He is remembered principally for the classical pottery designs he contributed to the Royal Copenhagen (''Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik'') and to ...
participated in the company from 1893 until his death in 1948 while Jens Thirsland was artistic director from 1913 until 1940. The painter Helge Jensen and the sculptor Kai Nielsen also contributed to designs from 1921 to 1924.Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. New designs were contributed by Bode Willumsen (1895-1987), Arne L. Hansen (born 1921), Allan Schmidt (born 1923) and Eva Sørensen (1940–2019).
Kähler today
The firm was sold to Næstved Municipality
Næstved Municipality ( is a '' kommune'' in the Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in the south of Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the ...
in 1974. It was subsequently resold to a series of new owners, including Holmegaard
Until 1 January 2007, Holmegaard was a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Storstrøm County in the southern part of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in south Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 66 km2, and had a total p ...
without the involvement of the Kähler family. In 2007, it was acquired by Frantz Longhi.[ In 2018, it was acquired by Rosendahl Design Group.
]
References
Further reading
*Minardi, Robin Hecht, "Scandinavian Art Pottery: Denmark and Sweden", Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Rev. 2nd Ed., 2005, p. 102-105,
External links
Company history from the Kähler website
Article in CeramicsToday written by Tove Jespersen with several illustrations.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahler Keramik
Ceramics manufacturers of Denmark
Danish companies established in 1839
Companies based in Næstved Municipality