Pair of Georg Jensen 1940 Sterling Silver and Wood Candlesticks by Arno Malinowski
Rare pair of Georg Jensen star-shaped sterling silver candlesticks on wood bases, designed by Arno Malinowski, from 1940. They measure 3'' in diameter by 1 1/8'' in height and bear hallmarks as shown.
Danish silversmith Georg Jensen (1866-1935) set up his own silver business in 1904 in Copenhagen. Jensen's training in metalsmithing -- along with his education in the fine arts -- allowed him to combine the two disciplines and revive the tradition of the artist craftsman. Soon, the beauty and quality of his creations caught the eye of the public and his success was assured. In 1912, expansion of his studio began in earnest. By 1917, he had built a workshop brimming with hundreds of employees. Jensen was awarded the Grand Prix at the world exhibition in Paris in 1925 and again in Barcelona in 1929. The sale of Jensen silver went really well and in the early 1930s there were Jensen shops in Paris, London, Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Barcelona, Stockholm, St. Thomas, Buenos Aires and New York apart from the ones in Denmark. By his death in 1935, Georg Jensen was an international house of design where inspired artisans carried on a tradition of blending expert craftsmanship with forward-thinking design. In his obituary the New York Herald Tribune called him “the greatest silversmith of the last 300 years.”
Arno Malinowski (1899-1976) was born in Copenhagen. At the age of 15 he became an apprentice to medalist and engraver Sophus Lindahl, who was appointed engraver to the court. He completed his training in 1919.
Afterwards, he trained at the Academy of Fine Arts where he received tuition from professor and sculptor Einar Utzon-Frank. The combination of Malinowski’s education and his understanding for the various materials made him a very good and respected designer. He was not afraid of combining materials in new ways. In 1935, Malinowski was hired as a designer by Georg Jensen and designed many pieces of jewelry as well as other objects. Particularly during World War 2, Malinowski's ingenuity was put to work in making exclusive jewelry by combining wood and iron with small pieces of silver. Malinowski also designed an emblem to mark the Danish King Christian X's 70 birthday in 1940. The emblem became a bestseller with more than 1 million pieces sold during the period (1940-1947) it was for sale.
Please feel free to ask us any questions, and please see our other listings. We hand polish all items before shipping them out, but if there is interest for a professional polishing and/or engraving removal, we can take care of that for an additional charge and with delayed shipping.