Royal Copenhagen Bowl With Carps, Model 2440/3522, Danish Jugendstil, Ca. 1925

Royal Copenhagen Bowl with Carps, Model 2440/3522, Danish Jugendstil, ca. 1925

Glossy glazed porcelain bowl by Royal Copenhagen, model number 2440/3522, dating to around 1925. The surface features an underglaze decoration of carps swimming among water plants, rendered in flowing tones of celadon green, brown, and blue. The fish seem to follow the curves of the vessel itself, creating a seamless connection between motif and form.

This sculptural and decorative approach reflects the Danish version of Jugendstil, sometimes referred to as Krog’s Jugendstil after artistic director Arnold Krog. Unlike the more ornate Art Nouveau styles of France or Belgium, the Danish Jugendstil emphasized simplified natural forms, gentle symmetry, and harmony between shape and decoration. This bowl is an excellent example of how organic themes were integrated into the actual structure of the object, without relying on added embellishments.

The base bears the Royal Copenhagen three-wave mark with the word “Denmark,” introduced in 1923. It also features the painter’s number in cobalt blue, indicating that the piece was decorated by a factory artist in the transitional period before numeric painter marks were phased out in the early 1930s.

Diameter approx. 21 cm

(Marked underglaze: 2440/3522)