Kay Bojesen Beech Rocking Horse, Denmark 1936

Lacquered beech rocking horse made and marked by Kay Bojesen, Mønsterbesk. Denmark 1936, and produced ca. the 1960s.

This lovely rocking horse has every characteristic of Kay Bojesen. Round and soft edges, with a design that is appealing not only to children. The body is made of beech, guaranteeing longevity and quality to this piece. The lines and joinery testify of great craftsmanship. The horse features an engraving at the bottom with the name, Kay Bojesen Mønsterbesk. The lacquered finish adds to the sophisticated, yet playful design.

About the designer:

Silversmith and designer Kay Bojesen (1886 – 1958) became world-famous for creating wooden toys that had soul and an impish sense of humour. With more than 2000 pieces to his name, he was one of Denmark's most prolific artisans in the 20th century. He is best known for his playful and cheerful monkeys, royal life guards and other wooden toys, but his repertoire of products also include jewellery, cutlery, teapots and silver goblets.

Kay Bojesen graduated as a silversmith in 1910 after completing his apprenticeship with silversmith Georg Jensen. As one of the first Danish artisans to do so, he embraced functionalism. He was among the pioneers who organised Den Permanente association – a cooperative of artists that included a shop and exhibition space, which over the decades came to represent the best in Danish and Scandinavian design.

The year 1919 became the start of a new era for Kay Bojesen. His son Otto was born and this life event sparked Kay Bojesen's imagination. In the 1930s, he started to indulge his interest in wood. He created a range of wooden toys that all lived up to his ideal that design should be round, soft and have a good feel to it.

His idea was not to create lifelike copies of real animals or to be too sophisticated or focus too much on detail, but instead to create imaginative toys in designs based on a child's own world where “lines need to smile”. With this basic philosophy in mind, Kay Bojesen created his beloved wooden toys that appeal to the child within us all.

Kay Bojesen retained his childish curiosity till the end and left an important design heritage behind.~H.