Mid Century Dansk Integrated Salt Shaker and Pepper Grinder by Jens Quistgaard with Early Four-Ducks Logo Set of Two NEVER USED

Vintage integrated salt shaker and pepper grinder from Dansk Designs by Jens Quistgaard, made of staved exotic woods, expertly joined.  The top section is a salt shaker with a removable button on top, and the bottom section a pepper grinder.  The black knob unscrews to reveal a white plastic grinder and spring; remove the three items and fill with peppercorns.  This is an estate piece and there are no signs that this piece was ever used; we put peppercorns in it to test it, and it works perfectly.  It’s set for a fine grind.  This piece bears the four-ducks logo within an oval with the words “Dansk Designs” wrapped around the logo.  The logo was hand-drawn by Quistgaard in 1954; the four ducks represent the unified family of Dansk products, and the three wavy lines represent the three major canals of Copenhagen.  We believe this logo was used between 1955 and 1958.  Dansk was an American firm which hired Danish artist Jens Quistgaard to design housewares for the American market (see history below).  (The iconic vibrantly-colored and sleek designs, particularly of cookware and tableware, came to be known as Scandinavian modern.  The Dansk line of cookware has been recently revived and colors expanded beyond the original red, yellow and blue.)

The salt shaker/pepper grinder measures 6.5″ tall x 3.5″ diameter at the base; exceptional unused condition.

HISTORY (from online sources).  On a trip to Europe in 1954, Americans Martha and Ted Nierenberg went in search of a product to manufacture and produce for a U.S. audience. During a visit to the Museum of Arts and Crafts–Kunsthandwaerkmuseet (today the Danish Museum of Art & Design — Kunstindustrimuseet) in Copenhagen, they saw a unique set of cutlery on display that combined teak and stainless steel, created by artist-designer Jens Quistgaard. The Nierenbergs tracked down Quistgaard and spoke with him in an effort to convince him to manufacture the cutlery. At first, Quistgaard insisted that the pieces could only be forged by hand, one piece at a time, but Nierenberg was able to convince him they could be mass-produced, leading to Dansk Designs’ first product, Fjord flatware, which has been one of the brand’s enduring bestsellers.

The Nierenbergs established Dansk that year in the garage of their Great Neck, New York home, with Quistgaard as its founding designer. By the end of 1954, Ted Nierenberg attracted orders for several hundred units from stores all around the United States, and the business took off from there.  By 1958, Nierenberg and Quistgaard had expanded Dansk’s wares to include teak magazine racks and stools, stoneware casseroles, salt and pepper grinders, and flatware with split cane handles. The New York Times credited Dansk with ‘creating a stir’ with ‘some of the most popular accessories found in American homes.’  As the company name suggested, Dansk came to epitomize Danish modern design in the urban American market. By 1982, Quistgaard had created more than 2,000 different designs for Dansk of dinnerware, glassware and items for the home.  Dansk relocated its headquarters to Mount Kisco, New York in the 1960s, and in June 1985 was purchased by Dansk Acquisition Corp. in a deal initiated by Goldman Sachs.  Dansk was acquired in 1991 by the Brown-Forman Corporation and incorporated together under its Lenox subsidiary.  On March 16, 2009, a group of investors led by Clarion Capital Partners LLC purchased the assets of Lenox – including Dansk – and renamed the company Lenox Corporation.

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A WORD ABOUT VINTAGE: Our inventory consists of vintage or antique items which are more than 20 years old, usually used or pre-owned, unless marked “new old stock.”  As such, there may be signs of wear and age, which we will disclose to the best of our ability.  Nevertheless, we encourage you to carefully read the description and view the photos, especially when purchasing a gift.  All items ship with tracking and insurance, and although we do not accept returns, we will offer a refund in case of breakage or damage during transit, upon receipt of sufficient proof. 

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