Design Moment: Tureen 270 (1918)

Devotees of the Georg Jensen brand of fluid-looking, beautifully simple and undeniably Scandinavian jewellery and tableware may be surprised by Tureen 270. It was designed by Jensen himself in 1918 when the master craftsman was influenced by art nouveau, the dominant decorative style across Europe when the former sculptor had opened his silversmith studio in Copenhagen in 1904. His early pieces appealed to his sculptural appreciation of shapes and his own interest in nature and wildlife. By the time he designed the highly decorative Tureen 270, his studio had moved to a large purpose-built workshop and was employing hundreds of artisans making objects that were favoured by Danish high society. By the time Jensen died in 1935 his silver objects were famous globally, with the New York Herald Tribune noting in his obituary that he “was the greatest silversmith of the last 300 years”. Last year the company, working from a single photo and some sketches found in its archive, recreated the piece to honour Jensen but also to show the level of craftsmanship still at work in its studio, capable of making such a complex piece.