Nymphenburg Sketches
Date: 2004
Commissioned by: Nymphenburg, München (available here)
Type: Unlimited product
With her “Nymphenburg Sketches” collection, Hella Jongerius wishes to place greater emphasis on the manufacturers’ handcrafted products and to show the observer the numerous steps involved in finishing a product. From the vast collection of roughly 30,000 designs representing all stylistic periods and ages – from Rococo to Empire; Art Nouveau to Contemporary Art – Hella Jongerius selected the historic décors and animal figures in particular as a design theme for the so-called “Unique Plates” and bowls with animal figures, to give these new products a contemporary interpretation.
Both the “Unique Plates” and the bowls with animal figures are created exclusively by hand – not following defined patterns or matrices, but rather based on a system. Accordingly, no two plates are identical. They vary in size and depth and the marks left behind by the craftwork are made visible. This particular shape of the plate or the bowl is an archetypical concept that has existed for centuries and represents an attractive basis for a décor.