Palshus

Per and Annelise Linnemann Schmidt (Palshus) 

Per Linnemann-Schmidt trained the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under Professor Einar Utzon-Frank from 1932 to 1935, then established a reputation as a portrait sculptor. In 1947, he and his wife, Annelise, opened a ceramics studio under the name of Palshus (later Palshus Stentoj [stoneware]) in Sengeløse, Denmark. Together they created simple, undecorated pottery, successfully pro­ducing hand-thrown vases, bowls, ashtrays, lamp bases, teapots and jugs in series that were distinguished by their remarkably high technical and artistic quality. Numerous unique pieces were also produced. Early wares were characterized by their precise forms and hard, almost bone-like, mat glazes. In the mid 1950s the workshop experimented with new clays and glazes, and in 1957 a new ware was developed with a rustic chamotte body, incised decoration in simple, geometric pat­terns and high gloss glazes; the colors of such pieces varied according to the relative thick­ness with which the glaze settled onto the engraved surface. Production of both types of ceramics continued until the end of 1972, when Per Linnemann­ Schmidt closed the studio follow­ing the death of his wife.

• exhibition catalog, The Nordic Modern Movement: Masterworks in Glass, Ceramics, Silver and Wood Gansevoort Gallery, 1998