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Toy zebra designed by Kay Bojesen
DesignedSummary
Object No.
H8812Object Statement
Toy zebra, wood / paint, designed by Kay Bojesen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1935, made in Denmark, 1935-1970Physical Description
Toy zebra, painted wood, designed by Kay Bojesen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1935, made in Denmark, 1935-1970The toy zebra comprises a curved body with four short doweling rods for legs. The head and body are rounded whereas the curved neck and tail are made of flat pieces of wood slotted into the head and body. The eyes and nostrils are represented by indentations, a feature used by the designer.The zebra is made of beech and painted in white with black stripes.
Short URL
https://ma.as/253546Production
Designed
Made
Notes
This small painted-wooden zebral was designed by the well-known Danish designer, Kay Bojesen (1886-1958). Kay Bojesen was born in Copenhagen in 1886, the son of the bookshop owner and publisher, Ernst Bojesen. At first Kay began training to be a grocer but between 1906 and 1910 served an apprenticeship as a silversmith with the famous Danish designer, Georg Jensen. After working in Paris and further training in Germany he returned to Copenhagen and worked as a silversmith for Oscar Dahl in Frederiksbereggade. He took over of the workshop there and with his son established his own company in 1913, moving to Nybrogade 14, Copenhagen.Bojesen worked largely in silver and steel but in 1922 began designing wooden toys. By the late 1920s he had moved away from Jensen's "Skonvirke style" and worked towards developing a modern Danish arts and crafts style called "Den Permanenta" (The Permanent). Toys were made in a more simple style with curves rather than sharp edges.
In 1930 Bojesen sold his workshop and became artistic administrator at Bing and Grondahl. In 1932 he opened his own business again, as an independent silversmith with a shop in Copenhagen at Bredgade 47. Although he continued to work in silver it was his wooden toys which eventually brought him international acclaim.
Bojesen did not make his own products. They were made by a number of different manufactures in Demark. One of these was Langeskov Legetojsfabrik, near Nyborg, on the Danish island of Fyn. This firm made a wide selection of his toys including cars, trains, horses and soldiers. Some of his toys were also made under licence in Holland and Sweden as well as the in the USA under the name Boysen Toys. Unfortunately a number of Bojesen's toy designs were illegally copied by other companies and he spent much time trying to protect his patents.
The Bojesen shop operated until his death in 1958 and after that was continued by his widow, Erna Bojesen, until her death in 1986, and then by his family for a short time. As well as toys, Bojesen's Danish arts and crafts style was also applied to wooden bowls, trays, cutting boards and egg cups. He also designed nursery ware made in melamine and worked in bamboo and cane with the Royal Court basket maker, R. Wengler, designing doll's house furniture. In 1991 the rights to manufacture Bojesen's wooden toy animals and guardsmen and his award-wining Grand Prix cutlery were acquired by Erik Rosendahl of Lundtofte where (in 2009) it is still being made.
Bojesen lived long enough to see his designs acknowledged and was made an honorary member of the National Association of Danish Arts and Crafts. He was also recognised by the Danish National Committee of the OEMP (World Organisation for Early Childhood Education) for his educational toys. His classic timber toys are now sought by collectors.
Information supplied by Gustav Rithmester
"Kay Bojesen Biography" at www.kayb.dk
www.rosendhal.com
"Some facts about Kay Bojesen" at www.kaybojesendesign.dk
"Kay Bojesen Biography" at www.picassomio.com
History
Notes
This zebra is part of a collection of Danish toys bequeathed to the Museum by the late Monica Piddington in 1970. Monica Piddington (1899-1967) was born at Narrandera, NSW, and became a kindergarten teacher. In the 1930s she went on to become the first director of the famous Sydney Playways educational toy shop which opened in Dalley Street, near Circular Quay, and was owned by the Kindergarten Union. Apparently Monica travelled around the world collecting toys of 'superior design, craftsmanship and quality' making them available to Australian teachers, parents and children. In the 1960s the shop moved to Clarence Street. After the Kindergarten Union decided to sell the business, it was taken over by the staff, all Early Childhood graduates, and re-opened as the Play House Toy Shop which operated from 1989 until 2007.Source
Credit Line
Gift of Monica Piddington Memorial Trust, 1970Acquisition Date
21 September 1970Cite this Object
Harvard
Toy zebra designed by Kay Bojesen 2021, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 16 April 2021, <https://ma.as/253546>Wikipedia
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