P. Ipsens Enke
Rasmus Peter Ipsen (1815-60) began his professional life as an apprentice brick layer and joiner before he found a position as a trainee at Royal Copenhagen, where he became an accomplished thrower. Ipsen established the company he named for himself in 1843, the same year that he married Lovise Christine Ipsen. By 1847, he had the funds to build a new factory in Utterslev outside Copenhagen. Specializing at first in hanging terracotta flowerpots, he also made amphorae vases painted in oil colors and figurines often inspired by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). When Peter died in 1860, his widow (enke means widow in Danish) continued the business.
Ipsen's eldest son, Bertel (1846-1917), who was also a potter, took over management of P. Ipsens Enke in 1865. Continuing to work in the "Thorvaldsen Style," he opened shops in Paris and London and showed at most world exhibitions. Although Lautitz Hjorth and Ipsens were competitors, they often cooperated by sharing employees. Ipsens's style changed in the 1890s, moving towards the production of black-fired terracotta.
