THE ITEM
A 1977 limited edition Weihnachten (German tr. 'Christmas Day') wall plate designed by renowned artist Bjorn Wiinblad in his recognised style, dominated by wavy lines, bright colours and romantic worlds.
The glass dish dips at the centre, creating a circular frame for the featured figures and the outer frame is lightly embossed, raising the painted decor into relief decor effect and making the plate wonderfully tactile.
The plate is adorned with gold, white and blue jewel-like coloured decor with the central figures being dressed in accents similar to characters from Wiinblad's popular Aladdin and 1001 Nights series.
CONDITION
Excellent, no chips or cracks. Decor is printed with 'Weihnachten 1977' and Wiinblads signature as part of the surface design. The reverse of the plate is printed with Rosenthal Studio Line's limited edition stamp and the number '7'. Plate has original fitting of a wall hook.
MEASUREMENTS
c. 0.8" / 2 cm tall x 11.4" / 28.9 cm in diameter.
Unpackaged weight: 1.4 kg / 1,393 g
NOTES
Glass will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured.
Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Bjørn Wiinblad (b. 1918 d. 2006) was a Danish painter, designer and artist in ceramics, silver, bronze, textiles, and graphics. Aged 17, he began an apprenticeship as a typographer, but soon realised that his heart was set on following the path of an artist and would go on from his beginnings as an illustrator to become a cosmopolitan multi-artist.
His work has been shown widely in Europe, in the United States of America first in 1954 and in Japan, Australia and Canada in 1968. Wiinblad was named Man of the Year in New York in 1985 and was awarded the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s Cultural Prize of 1995.
In 1957, Wiinblad was appointed Chief Designer for the famous German brand Rosenthal, a position that enhanced his international reputation even further.
Even though Bjørn Wiinblad was Copenhagen born and bred, and had trained in Copenhagen, his style was anything but classic Danish, and while functionalism ruled the roost in Denmark, Bjørn Wiinblad went the other way, espousing a style dominated by wavy lines, bright colours and romantic worlds.
Characteristics of Wiinblad's work include whimsical round-faced people, dressed in vaguely 19th-century costume. They are often surrounded by natural elements: twining vines, floral wreaths, and fantastical trees. When Wiinblad employed colour, he did so with great assurance. His colours are saturated and strong—sometimes almost psychedelic—and are often supplemented with metallic gold or silver.
Women were a consistent theme in the Wiinblad universe, displaying a wide range of emotional nuances, and their eyes – specifically, their gaze – were always very special. As a rule, they looked out with openness and curiosity – but with traces of dejection, melancholy and mysticism.
The eyes meant something very special to Wiinblad, so even though he employed a large number of people, he always painted the eyes himself and thus, the women were quoted to be intensely 'Wiinbladian'.
