Henning Koppel 1052 Handmade Sterling Silver Pitcher for Georg Jensen

The very first of Danish silversmith Georg Jensen’s teapots, the Blossom teapot exemplifies the natural motifs and Japanese influence central to the Art Nouveau movement, which spread across Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Jensen (1866–1935) brought the first Blossom teapot to market in 1905, just a year after founding his eponymous silversmith workshop in Copenhagen. Before finding his calling working in silver, Jensen had trained as a sculptor and ceramicist, studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and going on to work as a modeler in a porcelain factory and later started his own studio. In 1901, though, the designer changed paths, embarking on an apprenticeship with Mogens Ballin, the master silversmith who also had a background as a painter.

This kind of varied artistic background may just be what set Jensen apart: His best work displays a sculptural quality and attention to artful, often ornate, detail. The Blossom teapot epitomizes this, mixing a variety of symbolic design elements for a one-of-a-kind serving piece. Squat and low-slung at just over four inches tall, the teapot stands in contrast to the more slender silhouettes of traditional models. It’s set on “toad’s feet” and topped with a magnolia — not in glorious bloom, but in the hopeful form of a young bud — a flower symbolic in Japanese culture that also acts as a handle. Such a marriage of decoration and functionality speaks to the Art Nouveau ethos of incorporating natural elements wholly into a design and not purely as decoration.

The Blossom teapot also showcases a technique that would become one of Jensen’s trademarks: delicate hammer marks across the surface of the silver, reducing its shine and lending it an organic quality that stands in contrast to the pristine reflective surface of traditional polished-to-perfection tea services.

Georg Jensen continues to manufacture the Blossom teapot today, decades after the death of its founder, with just one notable change: The original teapot featured a handle of carved ivory; bans on the sale of the material prompted a swap to ebony, whose dark hue makes a dramatic contrast to the soft glow of the silver. The Blossom teapot is made by the company’s most skilled silversmiths, who hand-hammer the body, solder the feet and magnolia bud top and attach the handle and spout to precise specification to ensure easy flow of tea. Some things no machine can imitate.

Henning Koppel was a Danish sculptor and designer, who was associated with the well known Georg Jensen silver department during most of his career. In the early 1960s, he along with his work at Georg Jensen also made a few designs for the Danish porcelain factory Bing & Grøndahl from where his most known design is his dinnerware and coffee service. During this period at Bing & Grøndahl, he also made a few small and experimental productions like this bonbonniere. Henning Koppel’s works have been on display at most major exhibitions of Danish art industry in Denmark and abroad since 1947, and he is represented at art industry museums worldwide. In addition, he is represented in Den kgl. copperplate collection with drawings. During his life, Henning Koppel received many awards among them the gold medals in the Milan Triennial Italy 1951, 1953 and 1957, the K. Lunning Prize Denmark 1953, International Design Award USA 1963, Der goldene Löffel, Munich Germany 1963, Diamonds-International Award 1966, ID Award Denmark 1966, gold medal in Florence 1967 Italy, and Silver Medal Exempla Munich Germany 1970.