ArtistNorwegian
Thorvald Marthinsen
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At thirteen, Thorvald Marthinsen began his goldsmith's apprenticeship in Sarpsborg, learning to work silver in a tradition that was already centuries old in Norway. By 1883, having mastered his craft, he set up his own workshop and jeweller's shop in Tønsberg, a coastal town about 100 kilometres southwest of Christiania. He named the venture Th. Marthinsen, and it began modestly, just two craftsmen producing jewellery and small silver objects.
Over the following two decades, Marthinsen steadily modernised his operation. In 1899 he acquired a plot at Løkken on the edge of Tønsberg and expanded the premises in 1907, installing electric-powered machinery that allowed production to scale without sacrificing quality. By the eve of the First World War, his son Axel had joined the business and the workforce had grown to seventy. The product range had also broadened considerably, from small jewellery pieces to complete flatware services, hollowware, cups, and trophies.
The flatware patterns Marthinsen developed drew on Viking-era ornament and Norwegian folk motifs, most notably the Viking Rose pattern, which features richly worked handles combining interlaced strapwork with floral elements. Pieces in Viking Rose and the Acorn (Ekollon) pattern circulated widely across Scandinavia and remain among the most collected Norwegian silver patterns today. The factory also produced Liberation Spoons in 1945, commemorative pieces marking the end of the German occupation that have become significant collector's items.
The firm's prestige was confirmed when it received commissions to produce the medals for two Winter Olympic Games: Oslo 1952 and Lillehammer 1994. These commissions, separated by forty-two years, speak to the consistency of Marthinsen's reputation across generations. The company also supplied mayoral chains, trophies, and ceremonial silver to Norwegian institutions for decades.
Thorvald Marthinsen died in 1933, shortly after the factory's fiftieth anniversary. Control passed to his son Axel, who continued until his own death in 1941, and then to the third generation under Frithjof Marthinsen. The business has remained in family hands ever since, now in its fourth generation and still based in Tønsberg, making it one of the longest-running silversmithing enterprises in Norway.
On the Nordic auction market, Marthinsen silver appears regularly at Swedish auction houses including Bukowskis Stockholm and Formstad Auktioner. The 13 items tracked on Auctionist span flatware sets, candlesticks, and serving pieces, with prices for recent lots ranging from around 1,000 to 1,400 SEK for smaller sets of spoons. Viking Rose teaspoons and coffee spoons are the most frequently offered pieces, consistent with the pattern's enduring presence in Nordic households.