Hans Hansen

Hans Hansen (1884-1940) Started his own silversmithy in the 1920s in the Jutland town of Kolding with the mechanized production of silver flatware. The company's range of products and reputation for superb modernist design was however established by his son, Karl Gustav Hansen, who was apprenticed in his father's workshop in 1932, and consolidated by Bent Gabrielsen, artistic director from 1953 to 1969. Karl Gustav Hansen was born in 1914 and followed in his father's footsteps to become a silversmith. Even before he produced his apprenticeship test piece in 1934 he had created a series of designs in a simpler, functionalist style which he called 'Future'. He went on to study at the School of Sculpture in the Academy of Art and undertake a 3 month study trip to Italy. In 1940 Hans Hansen died, and the now 25 year old Karl Gustav took over the family firm, designing jewellery and increasingly flatware and hollowware. He designed practically no jewellery during the period 1953 -69 when Bent Gabrielsen was employed by the company, but resumed thereafter, and remained active until his death in 2002.A number of other well-known Danish modernist silversmiths started their careers at the Hans Hansen company and their designs were clearly influenced by the studio. These include Bent Knudsen, Eigil Jensen (who went on to work for Anton Michelsen) and Allan Scharff (born 1945), who progressed to Georg Jensen. One of Scharff's most famous designs, sold as 'Alliance' by Georg Jensen, was actually designed during his time with Hans Hansen. There are no individual signatures on any of the pieces, but it is possible to identify the designer once you are familiar with their work. All items bear one of the generic Hans Hansen logos, either HaH, or H within an H, or Hans Hansen signature in script. You cannot date the pieces by the mark used. In general however, and quite logically, larger pieces will bear the script signature, smaller ones the initials. The company was taken over by the Royal Scandinavia Group in 1991 and thus incorporated into Georg Jensen. Several Hans Hansen designs are still being produced by Georg Jensen.