Pictured below is a classic Christmas spoon from a collection created by Georg Jensen of Denmark who created this one in 'Julen 1939'. That's what is written on the back of this lovely piece. There are so many things people can choose to create a private collection. This was one of them. However, there will no longer be any new pieces in his series of special Christmas cutlery. The line was discontinued in 2010.
Pictured below is a sample of one family's collection. The elders' tradition was to gift one piece to each family member at Christmas time to celebrate their arrival as they came into the family either by birth or marriage.
The original heads of the family came from Denmark so selecting Jensen pieces marked a way to stay connected to their Danish roots. Those in the picture span from 1932 to 2009, covering three generations. The fourth began after 2010.
Scattered throughout the larger family are other pieces related to their own immediate family. What's remarkable is that most members know just where the various 'Julen' pieces reside within the bigger family because of their link to special dates or events. And they recognize their designs too. Just looking at the few in my photo I wonder how they do it.
Traditionally the cutlery comes out of storage for the special holiday season and then the conversation begins. I know this because I just visited two members. At lunch, when the dessert was served, each of us got to use one. And once the spoon was in our hands our questions began. For starters we wanted to know what our our hosts had. They each held theirs, the one that matched their birth year and each recognized the other's spoon by it's colourful unique design. Never had I seen or held anything so spectacular in cutlery before.
How these spoons became a collection fascinated me. Then there came the question as to why one member decided to break away from the spoon tradition by adding forks into the set, a new trend that lasted a very short time.
I once collected items but that's changed. Our house fire has spoiled much of that. I no longer have the desire to collect objects. And my children no longer have the sentimental desire to hang on to much of the past. Just an odd piece here or there seems to satisfy our need to connect to prior times. Perhaps my blog is taking the place of the objects I once treasured?
Are you or were you a collector?
They are beautiful spoons. Both my mother and late sister were spoon collectors. It gave them great pleasure to receive a spoon, or buy a spoon to add to their respective collections. Their collections ceased after my sister's spoon collection was stolen and my mother became to sick to care about polishing hers.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit of a collector also though I tend to like a little of a lot of different things. This probably make it easier to get rid of them eventually rather than add to the collection. Over time, I've decided I don't want to be "weighed down" with stuff.
What a beautiful collection. I love the story that goes along with it. So interesting.
ReplyDeleteI still have Dutch silver coffee spoons from my mother's silverware. The coffee spoons are very small and unfortunately most of them ended up going down the sink or scraped into the garbage by mistake. There are only a few left.
I used to collect things as a child. Over the past years, I decided to collect Cabbage patch dolls. I gave some away when my grandchildren were born. When it was time to move, I realized it would be better to travel light and not be weighed down my "things", Yes, I did take my collection, but gave a few dolls away to needy children for Christmas. I will do that every Christmas until my collection is gone.
Hope you are better.
Sending hugs
I started to collect antique jewelry, then found it was way to expensive for something that I wouldn't want on display. I collected silverware, some in my Grandmother's pattern "Cambridge" and a small luncheon set in Castle Rose - for my son.
ReplyDeleteDown to earth collections are rocks and stones and fossils. :-)
Is this what was meant by being born with a silver spoon in your mouth? And now it's forks? They are beautiful, and the story is lovely. And that original spoon is incredibly elegant, to me at least. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I turned 40, I decided to collect mini tea sets, but I soon collected to me and they were dust collectors and I put most of them.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I wanted to collect them. Just did! Everyone bought me them.
Someday I may do something with them. I am not sure what.
The details are just amazing. Beautiful pieces. My family collected old world beer stines. I have a few of them but don't know where the rest went and the younger generation has no interest.
ReplyDeleteCollections are so personal.
What a beautiful collection! I can see whey you love them. I have some pieces I love--mostly items from the 50's. I love old typewriters.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was a collector, I've stopped now.
ReplyDeleteI collected china mainly.
Your children will one day treasure the objects you've left behind. I have several pieces of my mother's I would never part with. And my daughter has already told me that she wants them when I'm gone.
What a lovely collection of spoons. I have collected many things over the years, but the only spoons I have are "salt spoons" which are very small.
ReplyDeleteI love collecting, and hope that someone will enjoy my collections in time.
I hope a spoon doesn't get lost, someone will be sad. I don't really collect anything. Although my brother in law recently gave me a big box of old Frontier Times Magazines from the 60's. They aren't worth much but they are fun to read.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful collection. I enjoyed learning about the spoons. I collect heart-shaped rocks (small ones) and have collected stamps when a teenager and then moved on to other things over the years. Now I am collecting teapots!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post. I love the stories in those spoons. And I like the idea of a blog being its own form of collection.
ReplyDeleteSince I help my brother with his antique business I find I've developed the habit of collecting odd items, only one of each. And I'm able to pass things along as the pleasure they bring me wanes.
What a lovely post! The spoons and their stories are fascinating. I, too, like the idea of a blog being a treasured collection of thoughts, memories and outstanding moments in ones life to be enjoyed when one is no longer able to do those things. I have not really been a conscientious collector of anything specific.
ReplyDelete