Georg Jensen piece

by Dr. Lori Verderame

Georg Arthur Jensen (Danish, 1866-1935) was a silversmith and goldsmith who learned his craft as an apprentice at the age of 14. After the apprenticeship, Jensen continued his studies at art school. Jensen studied sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and worked modeling pieces for a pottery firm. He then became interested in working with silver and metalwork.

In 1901, Jensen worked designing metals, particularly designing silver pieces. From the early years of the 1900s until circa 1940 and the onset of World War II, Georg Jensen expanded his silversmith and design business and opened retail stores. In addition to his Copenhagen location, Jensen opened stores that sold his designs in cities including Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, London, and New York.

High quality and strong impressive designs were the trademarks of Jensen’s pieces. He was a proponent of the famed Art Nouveau style and designed many pieces in the characteristic organic inspired form of the late 1800s. He produced tea sets, gravy boats, jewelry, vanity sets, ornaments, trays, and other objects in his highly recognizable style.

Georg Jensen used various markings on his pieces including the much utilized oval name mark showing Georg Jensen encased in an oval embossed on his factory produced pieces. The markings help to authenticate the piece however Jensen’s work are so lovely and attractive that mark or no mark, a keen eye cannot miss the work of this sculptural genius.

Get an online appraisal of your Georg Jensen piece from Dr. Lori.