Figure
Royal Copenhagen
Category
Ceramics
Date
1923
Materials
Porcelain
Measurements
146 mm (H)63 mm (W)
Place of origin
Copenhagen
Order this imageCollection
Beningbrough Hall, North Yorkshire
NT 1190754
Summary
Figure of a girl, 'Grønland' ('Greenland') designed by Carl Martin-Hansen for the Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory, Copenhagen, Denmark, about 1923. Figure of girl kneeling, dressed in traditional costume, carrying bunches of flowers in both hands. Black hair tied in top knot. Mark on base introduced c.1905.
Full description
This figure, of a young girl from Greenland, was originally designed and produced by Carl Martin Hansen (1877-1941), for the Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory, as part of a larger group representing the children of the Danish territories. This figure shows a girl dressed in traditional clothing of the middle and south western people of Greenland. In the 17th and 18th centuries Europeans traded glass beads and fabrics which have now become incorporated into the clothing, particularly on the women's anoraks. Here the figure is of an older girl as her anorak is red in colour, and she kneels on her warm, knee-length skin boots. The original group was made as a gift from the women of Denmark to King Christian X and to Queen Alexandrine on their Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1923. Subsequently, the gruop and individual figures were produced for retail. Greenland was under Danish rule from 1814 until 1979, when granted home rule.
Marks and inscriptions
12415 CCX / DENMARK / u / Greenland (and picture of a crown)
Makers and roles
Royal Copenhagen, manufacturer