Bjørn Wiinblad and Rosenthal

Year of birth: 1918 in Copenhagen

Deceased: 2006

Education: studied painting and illustration at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen

Profession: Designer, artist, illustrator, international costume and stage designer

Design philosophy: fusion of fantasy and art, detailed ornamentation, often inspired by music and theater

Influence on Rosenthal: Discovered by Philip Rosenthal in the 1960s; significant contribution to the Rosenthal Studio Line with iconic collections such as Romance and Magic Flute; chief designer at Rosenthal AG for over 49 years from 1957

Important works at Rosenthal:

• Magic Flute (1969): an operatic dream in porcelain that depicts Mozart's fantasy world in the finest relief
• Romance (1961): Harmonious design language of ornaments and playful shapes, complemented by glass and cutlery designs
• Christmas plates and gift series: Colorful collector's items that told new stories every year

A highlight of Bjørn Wiinblad's collaboration with Rosenthal is the Magic Flute collection, which was first presented in 1969 and remains one of the most unique collections in the Rosenthal Studio Line to this day. Inspired by Mozart's famous opera, Bjørn Wiinblad transferred the enchanting story onto the finest hard porcelain. The collection is more than just tableware - it is a tribute to musical heritage and a masterpiece of porcelain art. As a former costume and stage designer, Wiinblad translated his experiences into dramatic scenes, which he brought to plates and bowls in the form of filigree reliefs.

The Magic Flute collection exists in two versions: as Magic Flute White, which emphasizes the details with its clear, unglazed relief work, and as Magic Flute Sarastro, which offers a more opulent interpretation with an elegant gold rim. The reliefs depict iconic figures such as the Birdcatcher, the Queen of the Night and Prince Tamino, which Wiinblad brings to life on the porcelain through his meticulous detail work. The wide flags of the Rosenthal Bjørn Wiinblad plates act as stages on which the scenes are depicted in a fairytale-like interplay of matt and shiny surfaces. This special type of relief design demonstrates the innovative techniques and precision craftsmanship with which the delicate, unglazed surfaces are shaped to create a unique tactile effect.

In addition to the iconic Magic Flute, Wiinblad created other important porcelain works for Rosenthal. The Romance collection from 1960/61 was one of the first he designed for the Rosenthal Studio Line. This tableware quickly became popular and showed Wiinblad's talent for combining ornamentation and function in a harmonious form. The Romance tableware also included matching glassware and cutlery designs that formed a complete table setting as a so-called triad - an innovative concept that enjoyed great popularity at the time.

The success story continued: over the following decades, the artist developed various coffee and dinner services, drinking glass series, cutlery, gift series and furniture for Rosenthal.

The colorful Christmas plates that Wiinblad designed for Rosenthal also became coveted collector's items. The annually changing motifs on the Rosenthal wall plates by Bjørn Wiinblad tell detailed scenes from the Christmas story and made them popular porcelain pieces for connoisseurs and collectors. For Rosenthal's 125th anniversary in 2004, Bjørn Wiinblad created a further monument to his long-standing friendship with Philip Rosenthal by designing a chess set and a limited edition porcelain object - a tribute to their artistic journey together.