The Silver Fund

Sigvard Bernadotte (1907-2002), was a Swedish prince, the son of King Gustav VI.  As a young man, he wanted to become an actor, but his father and grandfather were against it because they did not think it was dignified.  Consequently, Bernadotte studied art history at Sweden Uppsala University.  After completing his degree at Uppsala, he enrolled in the new School of Decorative Art, in Stockholm.  The following year, he attended the Stockholm Exhibition and was greatly affected by what he saw.  In particular, he was inspired to design attractive products that could be used in the home, kitchen and office.  Thus, his career in applied art was launched.

Bernadotte’s association with the Georg Jensen Silversmithy began in 1930, when his talent as a designer was recognized by Jørgen Jensen (Georg Jensen’s second son who was then living in Stockholm) and also by Niels Wendel, a Swede who was a partner in the Jensen firm.  Bernadotte accepted a contract to design for the company.  His talent was obvious and the fact that he was a member of the Swedish royal family lent additional cachet.

The designs Bernadotte created for the silversmithy, which were mainly for holloware, represented a completely new look.  Totally modern, they are characterized by an emphasis on form.  He had a preference for classic geometric shapes, such as cylinders, funnels, and spheres; and the little ornamentation he employed tends to be restricted to straight incised lines.  His work, with is readily identifiable, exudes a cool, understated elegance.

In addition to being a seminal figure in the history of the Jensen silversmithy, Bernadotte was also a major figure in the field of Scandinavian industrial design.  He was a leader in the Society of Swedish Industrial Designers.  In 1997, Sweden’s National Museum mounted a major retrospective exhibition of his designs, which included more than fifty pieces designed for the Jensen silversmithy.

Bernadotte told the fascinating story of his relationship with the Jensen firm to The Silver Fund, and it is presented in our book Georg Jensen Holloware: The Silver Fund Collection.