Vintage – a dinner service shaped by the history of Porsgrunn
With the Vintage dinnerware series, Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik brings forth a rare and poetic part of the city's history. The series is inspired by a landscape motif over 200 years old, depicting Porsgrunn as the city was once seen by travelers and artists – and translated into porcelain with respect, curiosity, and a modern sense of design.
A Historical Look at Porsgrunn
The decoration is based on the work “Town of Porsground” by the British artist John William Edy. The motif is Plate 35 in the series Boydell’s Picturesque Scenery of Norway, an illustrated book from the early 19th century that aimed to showcase Norway’s landscape, cities, and daily life as it appeared to contemporary travelers.
The image shows a panoramic view of Porsgrunn – with the fjord dividing the town, boats on the water, churches, roads, and wooded mountains in the background. The depiction combines topographical accuracy with a romanticized view of nature and civilization, typical of the period and the so-called picturesque tradition.
From copperplate engraving to porcelain
Designer Cathrine Kirkerud has interpreted the historical motif, giving it new life in the Vintage series. The landscape is preserved in its richness of detail but adapted to the porcelain surfaces through carefully crafted border decorations, botanical elements, and balanced compositions.
The color palette – with green, warm brown, and deep red tones – emphasizes the timeless expression and gives the dinnerware a collector's feel, while also feeling relevant in a modern home. Each piece functions both as a utilitarian object and as a small piece of a story.
See the process behind
Designer Cathrine tells us how the Vintage series came to be – a little Porsgrund history, a little Norwegian nature, and a little bit new.
“For me, this series is about taking something that feels familiar and nostalgic, and giving it a new expression.”
- Cathrine Kirkerud
A dinner service with roots
Vintage is more than decorated tableware. It is a tribute to the place where Porsgrund Porcelain Factory was founded, and to the outside perspective that once shaped how Norway - and Porsgrunn - was viewed by the world. The series connects past and present, reminding us that porcelain can also be a bearer of culture, history, and identity.
Decorative elements
Around the emblem on the plates, stylized plants with natural connections to the area have been used:
oak, clover, bog myrtle, dog rose, and lily of the valley.
The various plant growths in the decor represent the following:
The Lily of the Valley
Represents spring and new life.
Porcelain
It brings everything together into a clear local identity and becomes the key that grounds the otherwise universal plant symbolism.
The dog rose
Represents blooming, beauty, and fruit.
Oak
Represents the old and the enduring
The Clover
Represents meadows, luck, and community.
