Jens Quistgaard Forty-Piece "Fjord" Cutlery Set

A 40 piece set of Organic Modernist ‘Fjord’ cutlery, designed by Jens Quistgaard, 1953.

A 6-piece service for 6 people, consisting of; 6x Dinner Forks, 6x Dinner Knives, 6x Soup Spoons, 6x Salad Forks, 6x Butter Spreaders, 6x Teaspoons, 1x Carving Set, 1x Serving Spoon, and 1x Serving Fork.

This is an early first production set, made in Germany, circa 1958. Subsequently, manufacture moved to Denmark, France, and Finland, and later to Korea, Japan, and China. [1]

Being responsible for the birth of the company Dansk Designs, ‘Fjord’ is arguably one of the most important Nordic designs of the 20th century.

The first ever set of ‘Fjord’ cutlery was hand forged by Quistgaard himself, in 1953. The same year, the design won first prize in a flatware competition organised by the Danish tableware company Georg Jensen. However, Quistgaard was told that the cutlery was too difficult to manufacture commercially.

The exquisiteness of ‘Fjord’, was disputed by no one, and convinced of the importance of his design he approached the Kunstindustrimuseet* who swiftly acquired it for their collection.

It was at the *Danish Museum of Art & Design that the silverware was discovered by American businesspeople Ted & Martha Nierenberg who felt compelled to demand an immediate meeting with Quistgaard. Once in a room together, the Nierenberg’s succeeded in convincing Quistgaard into partnership with them, and Dansk was born!

Pivotal to negotiations was the avowal that they could produce ‘Fjord’. Indeed, they did, and the precisely balanced combination of teak and stainless steel shaped into clear-cut and biomorphic forms transformed ordinary tools into usable sculpture -the likes of which had never been seen on the American market. [2]

Followed later by enamelled-steel cookware, sculptural wooden peppermills, monumental cast-iron candleholders, and more, Dansk Designs revolutionised, and forever changed, the landscape of the American table.

Quistgaard design is held in most major museums, worldwide. A set of 'Fjord' can be seen in The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

[1] Sandberg, Jeni. "Fjord Flatware by Jens Quistgaard for Dank and How to Care for Fjord."

[2] Froelich, Sarah. “Set for Transition: Dansk Designs’ Fjord Flatware.” Gastronomica 11, no. 1 (2011): 9–11.