HERMAN A-KÄHLERS POTTERY

Posterity can thank potter Joachim Christian Herman Kähler (1808-1884) that he in 1839 left the duchy Holstein and established a workshop in Nestved. By this the foundation stone, to the biggest flagship within the Danish ceramics, was laid.

In the first abt. 30 years he produced All-night burners, spring water jars and articles for the everyday use in the kitchen.

In 1872 his sons Herman August Kähler (1846-1917) and Carl Frederik Kähler (1850-1920) takes over the pottery. Herman A. take over the production of all-night burners. He however followed his intuition, started his own, and in 1875 he build what we today know as Kählers Pottery in Nestved.

Herman August Kähler introduced the signature

, which since that time has been the pressmark on all Kählers products.

In 1883 Vilhelm Klein (1835-1913 architect) from "the Copenhagen Drawing School for Women" was looking for a pottery where he could have his students things burned. This resulted in a cooperation with Herman A. Kähler. This cooperation gave Herman A. the inspiration to start production of others than all-night burners.

He was experimenting again and again with the glazes. The target was a red lustre glaze, like the one used by the Italian maestro Giorgio from Gubbio in the 16th century. In 1888 he presented a ruby glaze which made him world famous. This ruby is today known as "Kähler red".

1885-1907 Hans Andersen Brendekilde (1857-1942 painter) decorated a few things with motifs from fairytales and legendary figures - Trolls and witches.

1886-1888 Carl Ove Julian Lund known as "deaf Lund" (1857-1936 china painter) tried with finer underglaze painting; but this technique wasn't as good on ceramics as on china, so this failed.

He had a close cooperation with Herman A. The vases and pots that he designed and Herman A. turned, was decorated with moddelled animals-heads, which in their art-nouveau style was perfect suitable for the new "Kähler red" lustre glaze. This cooperation was presented at the World Exhibition in Paris 1889. The public was carried away by the "Kähler red" and with one stroke Kähler was world famous. Many of the international Museums made purchases.

Hansen-Reistrup produced a number of wall friezes - among those the "Peacock-frieze" in 1897, which was sold to the National Museum in Stockholm. The "Eagle-frieze" which can be seen at the Sevres-Museum.

only produced a few things - he preferred the painting. Married in 1898 the daughter of Herman A. Sigrid Kähler (1874-1923). Before her marriage Sigrid worked with flowerdecorations at the pottery.

1890-1891 Thorvald Bindesboell (1846-1908 architect and sculptor) was designing vases and pots with sgrafitto (scratched patterns) and slipping in abstract motifs, in the French "art nouveau" style (period 1890-1910) in Germany it was called "Jugendstyle" and in Denmark "Skoenvirke". The Skoenvirke or the Jugendstyle was a bit later and longer in Denmark Same Style but another period 1890-1920th.

Bindesboell is very dominating - a Prima Donna - and he doesn't find that there is room enough for both him and Hansen-Reistrup. Herman A. did not agree and the message to Bindesboell was "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen"

The years are extremely successful. The Kähler Pottery is winning prizes on exhibitions all over the world. They are selling to the leading galleries and art museums both in Europe and USA.

From 1901 the son of Herman A. - Herman Hans Christian Kähler (1876-1940) takes over the leadership. A new era begins.

Herman H. C. was tired of the "Kähler Red" and thought that it was time for a change. He was, like his contemporary Bertel Ipsen, from P. Ipsens Enke, fascinated by Bindesboell and his sliped ceramics. So it was a drop into his lap when Svend Hammershoei arrived to the pottery and started his production of sliped ceramics.

From 1908 Herman H. C. takes up the horn painting again. This technique suits the pots good and ceramics decorated with sliped horn painting is typical for what we today associate with the "Kähler Style".

The Horn Painting was a difficult technique. The tool was a hollowed cowhorn with a goose quill. The horn was filled up with the slip, which afterwards was dosed through the goose quill, used as a pen.

Herman H. C. and his journeymen mastered the craft and often up to 10 horns were used at the same time decorating a vase.

The first things were decorated in dark brown, blue and green with patterns in the Juegendstyle (Skoenvirke). Later on both colours and patterns became lighter.

1893-1948 Svend Hammershoei (1873-1948 painter) was the artist who had the longest cooperation with Kähler. In the years he developed all the time which is also reflected in his ceramics. Maybe he found inspiration while he was occupied with other doings as painting and writing (abt. Bindesboell). He had worked together with Bindesboell in the 1890th. at G. Eifrig, Copenhagen Pottery. It was a tempestuous cooperation where Hammershoei, due to his dazzle, was utilized. Often he turned and did the modelling after Bindesboells drawings and then Bindesboell just signed the works.

In the beginning his vases and pots with sliped relief decorations in leaves ornamentation, was clearly impressed by Bindesboell. Later he tried with terracotta in antique design, also with leaves ornamentations or with stamped impressions.

Hammershoei moved in the direction of geometrical design, with characteristic profiling, often fixed with small modelled "buds". These things with the grey/black/white glaze (invented by Jens Thirslund) was an enormous success and today it is that kind of Kähler-ceramics which people associate with Hammershoei.

Hammershoei never got married and had no children, but in his studio and on his many journeys the supstitutechildren - his dolls - were following him.

1913-1941 Jens Thirslund (1892-1942 painter). In 1914 he married Herman A.'s daughter, Stella Kähler (1886-1948 decorator). He became artistic leader of the factory.

Thirslund had an inborn talent for painting. A bohemian type, who fit up his own ward in the pottery, as a real artistic den filled with all sorts of goods and chattels from floor to roof. A rendezvous for the artists from all over.

The artistic inspiration he had from the Oriental often spiced with a sense of humour. He became a true master in painting with the lustre glaze.

After the 1st world war the number of agents worldwide extended. They were represented at most recognized museums. In USA it was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The things were sold through Zacho & Co in Hollywood, the Frankl Galleries in New York and The Associated Merchandising Cooperation.

After Herman H. C.'s death in 1940 the 4th. generation takes over. Nils Joakim Kähler (1906-1979 potter) takes care of the artistics and Herman Joergen Kähler (1904-1996 potter) takes care of administration and glazproduction.

Nils Kähler had been working together with Hammershoei and continued this style, in a modern version with the grey/black/white Thirslund glaze. Cylindrical design in stoneware with yellow and turquoise glaze, often with stamped decorations in fishbone pattern.Besides the HAK, Nils Kähler always sign his things with Nils.

An era is finished in Danish ceramics but the many Kähler journeymen, who started their own potteries, all over Denmark upholds the grand traditions and the Kählers have for ever put their stamp on Danish ceramics.