DESCRIPTION

Beautiful palisander tray with “butterfly” inlay, a piece from Jen Quistgaards Rare Woods Line for Dansk, designed in 1961.

Jens Quistgaard (1919 - 2008) was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark; his father, a sculptor, offered early design training. As a child, Quistgaard made his own toys from wood scraps, and after receiving a blacksmith forge and an anvil at age 14, he began making jewelry and knives. He went on to study at a technical school in Copenhagen and apprenticed with the renowned Danish silversmith Georg Jensen. During World War II, he worked with the Danish Resistance.

By the early 1950s, Quistgaard had developed a line of hand-forged flatware called Fjord. Designed in stainless steel with teak handles, it was considered a daringly modern mingling of materials at the time. When American entrepreneur Ted Nierenberg saw Fjord displayed at the Danish Museum of Art and Design, he expressed interest in producing it on a large scale. Despite Quistgaard’s initial reluctance – he was certain his pieces could be produced only by hand – he agreed, and by 1954 Dansk International Designs had been established, making Fjord flatware and other products available to post-war Americans hungry for anything Danish Modern.

Many classic Quistgaard pieces are considered collector’s items today, and his work is featured in the permanent collections of both MoMA and The Met in New York, as well as The Louvre in Paris.

The tray measures approximately 27 1/2 inches long, 8 3/8 inches wide at the ends, 4 7/8 inches at the waist and 1 3/4 inches in height.

The tray is fully marked on the bottom.

CONDITION

The tray is in very good original condition with a deep, beautiful patina. Some insignificant scratching on the top and bottom from normal everyday use.

SHIPPING

The tray will be carefully packed using bubble wrap and a rigid cardboard box. The carrier will be Federal Express Ground for businesses or Federal Express Home Delivery, the pieces will be insured for the sold price, a Federal Express tracking number will be emailed to the buyer on the day of shipment, which is usually within two business days after purchase, and the package will have to be signed for.

PLEASE NOTE DESCRIPTION, CONDITION AND PHOTOGRAPHS CAREFULLY, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND TO REQUEST OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS, RETURNS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.  THIS ITEM IS SOLD "AS IS" AND "AS DESCRIBED".