A cup and saucer from the famous breakfast service by H.P. Berlage and Piet Zwart (1924). The full service is priceless these days and many enthusiasts have been trying for years to complete their collection (20 parts in total) This year the design is exactly a 100 years old . At the time it was revolutionary, and perhaps too futuristic. It didn't quite take to the larger public and even though it was meant for mass production, it turned out to be too expensive to produce.
In a 1926 magazine about design the following was written (freely translated):
''Leerdam, a center of solid artistic sense, always brings new products, in which beautiful matter has been turned into a refined design ................ .............. Our images give the latest results here. Dr. H. P. Berlage has designed a breakfast or coffee set made of yolk yellow opaque glass, which, in contrast with the rest of Leerdam glasswork, was not blown but pressed. It's powerful and immediate in construction, large in size and shape and mathematically constructed. On a pure hexagon the cylindrical middle sections rise from the bottom. There's nothing artificial about this, just simplicity and nobility make this design by the clever master a very special asset for the well-arranged dining table. ''
Artist:
H.P. Berlage & Piet Zwart
Design Period
1920s
Production Period
1924
Country of Manufacture
Netherlands
Identifying Marks
Yes, pressed monogram underneath both pieces (PB)
Style
Dutch Art Deco, Amsterdam School, Amsterdamse School, Modernist
