For the love of the soft and dark pewter

 

For the love of pewter

I love pieces made of pewter and I am never tired of admiring the delicate work of the Norwegian pewter manufacturers. There are so many beautiful works out there, extremely well made and, naturally, full of references and hiding meanings behind each of them. Pewter pieces were, are, everywhere. Every Norwegian home accumulated several types of pewter pieces, for diverse uses, both kitchen and table utensils, jewelry and general home decor items. As time changes things, slowly the power of pewter started to fade, industries closed, artistry lost and meanings forgotten. Not really. 

Sure, maybe not as many Norwegians admire pieces made in the soft dark grey metal the anymore, not the way they used too. But pewter is still appreciated for the unique way it was used as a vehicle for artists to express the truth of their time.

The "great houses of Norwegian pewter", the largest manufacturers, slowly disappeared but their pieces are everywhere to be found. The closing doors of the pewter factories are a sign of times, an old custom is about to change, the uses and abuses of pewter by Norwegian society may be over. 

I understand, some people are exhausted of pewter, they reflect a time of poverty and limited resources and I get that our society has shown signs of a pewter hang over, but I can´t stop myself from repeating it: we will see a pewter come back one of these days and, when it happens, let´s all hope the beautiful Norwegian pieces were not all melted away...  

I keep mine safe and sound.