Theodor Philipsen (1840–1920)
A Heifer and a Bull Calf, 1906
Glazed earthenware
H: 37; W: 60.5, D: 45.7 cm
Inventory number B 35
Theodor Philipsen was an artist of wide-ranging talents. He was a painter first and foremost, and today he is applauded as one of the most significant Impressionist painters in Danish art history, while at the same time being one of the most talented animal painters of his generation. Philipsen also worked with ceramics, albeit only to a limited extent, as he mainly decorated ceramic dishes and made sculptures in the round. Nevertheless, his ceramic production is striking, especially the sculptures, which had no parallels in Denmark at the time they were created.
Philipsen’s earliest documented ceramic sculptures were created in 1887–88 at the workshop of the potter Wallmann in Utterslev.1 In the following decades Philipsen would work with sculpture from time to time, and he was particularly prolific in 1905–06.
In 1906, he created the series Our Farm Animals, which consists of six sculptures, including A Heifer and a Bull Calf.2 Common to these sculptures is the striking realism found in their form and glazes alike. Philipsen demonstrates his full and firm grasp of the animals’ anatomy, patterns of movement and behaviour. In addition, he emphasizes his formidable observational skills as well as the love he had for his beloved favourite subjects, the animals.
Philipsen’s earliest documented ceramic sculptures were created in 1887–88 at the workshop of the potter Wallmann in Utterslev.1 In the following decades Philipsen would work with sculpture from time to time, and he was particularly prolific in 1905–06.
In 1906, he created the series Our Farm Animals, which consists of six sculptures, including A Heifer and a Bull Calf.2 Common to these sculptures is the striking realism found in their form and glazes alike. Philipsen demonstrates his full and firm grasp of the animals’ anatomy, patterns of movement and behaviour. In addition, he emphasizes his formidable observational skills as well as the love he had for his beloved favourite subjects, the animals.
Published in
Published in
Karl Madsen: Maleren Theodor Philipsen, København 1912, pp. 38-39;
Finn Terman Frederiksen in Kjeld von Folsach and Nana Lund (eds.): Dansk kunst i Davids Samling – fra Philipsen til Saxbo, København 1995, cat.no. 1, pp. 54-55;
Lars Dybdahl: Dansk keramik 1850-1997, Sophienholm, Lyngby 1997, cat.no. 55, pp. 112;
Vibeke Skovs værkfortegnelse in Finn Terman Frederiksen: Med solen i øjnene: en Theodor Philipsen-studie, Randers 1992, cat.no. 979, 4, p. 195;
Finn Terman Frederiksen: Theodor Philipsen. En traditionsbevidst nyskaber, Randers Kunstmuseum, Randers 2016, fig. 19, pp. 236-237, BFL 1725/4, p. 517;
Finn Terman Frederiksen in Kjeld von Folsach and Nana Lund (eds.): Dansk kunst i Davids Samling – fra Philipsen til Saxbo, København 1995, cat.no. 1, pp. 54-55;
Lars Dybdahl: Dansk keramik 1850-1997, Sophienholm, Lyngby 1997, cat.no. 55, pp. 112;
Vibeke Skovs værkfortegnelse in Finn Terman Frederiksen: Med solen i øjnene: en Theodor Philipsen-studie, Randers 1992, cat.no. 979, 4, p. 195;
Finn Terman Frederiksen: Theodor Philipsen. En traditionsbevidst nyskaber, Randers Kunstmuseum, Randers 2016, fig. 19, pp. 236-237, BFL 1725/4, p. 517;
Footnotes
Footnotes
1.
In addition to the work in The David Collection, the series consists of A Cat on a Roof (on permanent loan at Kastrupgaardsamlingen), A Pair of Puppies (private collection), Two Lambs (Amager Museum), A Pair of Horses Being Fed (SMK, KMS5871) and A Sow with Four Piglets (SMK, KMS5870). See: Finn Terman Frederiksen: Theodor Philipsen. En traditionsbevidst nyskaber, Randers Kunstmuseum, Randers 2016, pp. 237 and 517.
2.
Based on Finn Terman Frederiksen’s list of works in Theodor Philipsen. En traditionsbevidst nyskaber, Randers Kunstmuseum, Randers, 2016. Later works were fired under the auspices of Wallmann’s former apprentice G.A. Eifrig at Københavns Lervarefabrik in Valby.
