Niels Refsgaard (b. 1934) Danish, Serving Platter for Dansk. Modern design with a standing heron. Marked on bottom. Danish ceramicist Niels Refsgaard was born in Copenhagen in 1934, and has been designing for Dansk since 1967. Niels Refsgaard has been an integral part of the Dansk story for more than 60 years as a designer, creator, and brand champion, even before joining the company. He prefers to be called a “simple country potter,” but it is his tireless talent and devotion to his craft that shines through in all that he creates, with many of Niels’ dinnerware patterns still active in the Dansk line today. Niels is considered one of most important living mid-Century Modern ceramic masters. 

Size: 13 X 1 1/2 in. 

On a trip to Europe in 1954, Americans Martha and Ted Nierenberg went in search of a product to manufacture and produce for a United States audience. During a visit to the Museum of Arts and Crafts Kunstindustrimuseet (today the Danish Museum of Art & Design) in Copenhagen, they saw a unique set of cutlery on display that combined teak and stainless steel, created by artist-designer Jens Quistgaard. The Nierenbergs tracked down Quistgaard and spoke with him in an effort to convince him to manufacture the cutlery. At first Quistgaard insisted that the pieces could only be forged by hand, one piece at a time, but Nierenberg was able to convince him they could be mass-produced, leading to Dansk Designs’ first product, Fjord flatware, which continues to be one of the brand’s enduring bestsellers. The Nierenbergs established Dansk Designs (also known as Dansk International Designs) that year to become a distributor and retailer of cookware, tableware, and other home accessories. Originally starting out of their garage in Great Neck, New York, the official corporate headquarters moved to Mount Kisco in the 1960s. By then Nierenberg and Quistgaard had expanded Dansk’s wares to include teak magazine racks and stools, stoneware casseroles, salt and pepper grinders, and flatware with split cane handles. With only two other main designers as collaborators (Niels Refsgaard and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe), the company was able to craft viable goods rapidly with a cohesive style throughout all their patterns. Dansk came to epitomize Danish modern design in the urban American market, creating a desire for the style among homemakers and collectors. By 1982, Quistgaard alone had created more than 2,000 different designs for Dansk of dinnerware, glassware and items for the home. Dansk was purchased in June 1985 by Dansk Acquisition Corp. in a deal initiated by Goldman Sachs. Dansk was then acquired in 1991 by the Brown-Forman Corporation and incorporated under its Lenox subsidiary. In 2009 a group of investors led by Clarion Capital Partners LLC purchased the assets and renamed the company Lenox Corporation. In 2021, the brand Dansk was acquired by Food52. Dansk designs are recognized for their artistic merit and several examples are held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with all three designers still working for the company.