Description:

Bente Hansen (born 1943), Danish ceramic artist.
Unique ceramic vase. Glazed in sandy tones.
Adorned with relief berries on branches.
Circa 1980s.
Signed BH.
In perfect condition.
Dimensions: Diameter 9.0 cm x Height 8.0 cm.
Bente Hansen is well represented in Danish and international museums and collections. She has primarily worked with salt-glazed stoneware. Robust cylinder shapes, pitchers, and reliefs from the 1970s evolved into sculptural vases with wavy, nature-inspired forms in the 1980s, including lidded jars, often as pairs. Throughout the 1980s, the forms became simpler and thinner in the shard, while the decoration gained greater significance. The jars, often quite tall, feature tight curves and oval cross-sections, resting on a small base; others are lower with cradle-like bottoms. The sharply defined, geometric decorations are executed in a characteristic palette consisting of white, yellow, rust-red, green, brown, and black glazes. The color surfaces seem to simultaneously emphasize and transcend the forms, while the salt glaze lends a slightly textured, orange peel-like surface that unites form and decoration. More recently, Hansen has worked with a form featuring angled incisions on the sides, inspired by the Greenlandic woman's work knife, the ulu, and some shoulder-shaped jars where the color can be simplified to monochrome.