Jens Lauritz Opstad (5 May 1917 – 23 May 2003) was a Norwegian museum director and historian. He was born in Tune as a son of wholesaler Jens Lauritzen Opstad (1884–1963) and Laura Kristine Thune (1885–1921). He finished his secondary education in

Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

in 1937 and at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top univers ...

he took the

cand.mag. Candidatus magisterii (male), or candidata magisterii (female), abbreviated as cand.mag., is an academic degree currently awarded in Denmark. The degree is officially translated into English as Master of Arts and currently requires 5 years of stud ...

degree in 1941 and the cand.philol. degree in history in 1943. He was a school teacher in

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 1 ...

from 1944 to 1945, then a consultant for half a year at the

Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design The Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design ( no, Kunstindustrimuseet) is a museum in Oslo, Norway. Its collection includes clothing, textile, furniture, silver, glass, ceramics, and handicrafts. Since 2003, the museum has been administ ...

. He was a curator at

Stavanger Museum Stavanger Museum is a museum of natural and cultural history established in 1877, located in the Norwegian city Stavanger. The museum's collections consist of several departments: the department of zoology, the department for cultural history (whi ...

Ledaal Ledaal is a manor house which is the official residence for the King of Norway in Stavanger, Norway. History The manor house was built between 1799 and 1803. It was then owned by the merchant and leading citizen in Stavanger, Gabriel Schanche K ...

from 1947 to 1948, county curator in

Østfold County Municipality Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side ...

from 1948 to 1967 and director of the Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design from 1967 to 1987. Important books include ''Moss Jernverk'' (1950), ''Herrebøe Fajance Fabrique'' (1959), ''Bygdehistorien inntil 1800'' (volume two of ''Rygge'', 1957) and ''Norsk pottemakeri 1600–1900'' (1990). He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

(1976), Knight of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

, Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

and

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of ...

. In October 1947 he married Marit Elisabeth Olstad. In 1950 they had the son Jan-Lauritz Opstad, a museum director. Lauritz Opstad died in June 2010 in Oslo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Opstad, Lauritz 1917 births 2003 deaths People from Sarpsborg University of Oslo alumni Norwegian art historians 20th-century Norwegian historians Norwegian curators Directors of museums in Norway Knights of the Order of the Lion of Finland Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star