Ceramic vase by Marianne Starck for the Michael Andersen workshop.

A charming little vase made by the Danish ceramist Marianne Starck (1938-2007) in the 1960s. Partially glazed, it reveals the raw material of stoneware, specifically chamotte clay, with an interesting relief on the circular ring in the centre. The glaze is a very soft and elegant celadon green, a colour particularly popular in the early 20th century and revived by Scandinavian ceramists in the 1950s and 1960s. Marianne Starck was a ceramist and designer of German origin who obtained Danish nationality and whose work has marked the history of 20th-century ceramics. Born in northern Germany, she started as an apprentice potter before studying graphic design in Hamburg. In 1955, she moved to Denmark, to the island of Bornholm, to join the Michael Andersen & Søn ceramic factory. She remained there for nearly 40 years, serving as artistic director until 1993. Her works are now highly sought after by collectors and exhibited in several museums in the Nordic countries. They usually bear her initials "MS" alongside the factory logo depicting three herring. The Michael Andersen workshop was founded in 1890 by Jens Michael Andersen (1859-1931) on the Danish island of Bornholm, which has hosted many ceramists for over two centuries. Michael Andersen trained as a ceramist under Lauritz Hjorth in Rønne, on the island of Bornholm. In 1890, he took over the ceramic business of Th. Stibolt in Rønne under his own name. The ceramic business in question dates back to 1771. His four sons, all trained in ceramics, took over, and the workshop became "Michael Andersen and Søn" in 1916. With one of his sons, Daniel Andersen, the workshop developed its first small series in the 1900s. Then, upon the founder's death in 1931, the workshop began producing larger series of vases, bowls, and figures.