 | |
Native name | Kähler Keramik |
|---|---|
| Company type | Ceramics |
| Founded | 1839; 187 years ago (1839) inNæstved,Denmark |
| Founder | Joachim Christian Herman Kähler |
| Headquarters | Denmark |
Area served | World Wide |
Key people | Jesper Holst Schmidt(CEO) |
| Products | Omaggio |
| Owner | Frantz Longhi |
| Website | Official Website |
Kähler Keramik (Kähler Ceramics) is a Danish ceramics manufacturer based inNæstved on the island ofZealand.
Joachim Christian Herman Kähler (1808–84) fromHeiligenhafen in theDuchy of Holstein established himself as a potter in Næstved in 1839, producing heating stoves, cooking pots and kitchenware.[1][2] His son,Herman A. Kähler (1846-1917), together with his younger brother Carl Frederik Kähler, took over the running of the factory in 1872.[3] Carl became responsible for producingfaience while Herman specialized in manufacturing tiled stoves. In 1875, after Carl withdrew and the original factory had burnt down, Herman built a new factory on the town's outskirts where he produced both stoves and pottery.[4] Inspired byVilhelm Klein, Herman A. Kähler started to experiment with more appealing designs with glazed finishes. In 1886, he succeeded in attracting the artistsH. A. Brendekilde,L.A. Ring and Carl O.J. Lund.[5]
Kähler became interested in obtaining the red lustre glaze known asmaiolica which had been produced inGubbio, Italy, in the 16th century. In 1888 he succeeded, developing the now famous ruby glaze known as Kähler red.[3] The designerKarl Hansen Reistrup (1863–1929) soon joined the enterprise, assisting in the production of finely formed, artistically decorated items, especially vases.[4] Thanks to Reistrup's designs, Kähler's ceramics achieved considerable success both at theGreat Nordic Exhibition held in Copenhagen in 1888 and at theExposition Universelle held the following year in Paris.[6][7]
Inc. 1913, H.A. Kahler was formed as a limited company with three directors: Herman A. Kähler was responsible for overall management, his son Herman Hans Christian Kâhler headed artistic development and Rasmus Grønholt directed sales.[5] After Herman A. Kähler died in 1917, his son Hans Christian assumed responsibility for the company benefiting from the involvement of painters Signe Steffensen and Tulle Emborg.Svend Hammershøi participated in the company from 1893 until his death in 1948 whileJens Thirslund was artistic director from 1913 until 1940. The painterHelge Jensen and the sculptorKai Nielsen also contributed to designs from 1921 to 1924.[8] After Herman H.C. Kähler died in 1940, his sons Herman J. Kähler (1904-1996) and Nils Kähler (1906-1979) took the lead, achieving success in exports after the end of theSecond World War. New designs were contributed byBode Willumsen (1895-1987),Arne L. Hansen (born 1921),Allan Schmidt (born 1923) andEva Sørensen (1940–2019).[9]
The firm was sold toNæstved Municipality in 1974. It was subsequently resold to a series of new owners, includingHolmegaard without the involvement of the Kähler family. In 2007, it was acquired by Frantz Longhi.[9] In 2018, it was acquired byRosendahl Design Group.