A Dinner service, ca. 51 pieces, model "Dec 2396" Gustavsberg, Sweden early 20th century.
Consisting of;
12 plates diameter 24 cm,
12 deep plates diameter 24 cm,
11 side plates,
1 jug (cracked),
1 teapot with lid (not matching the pot),
2+1+1+1 oval serving dishes length approx. 23-30-38-43 cm,
1 tureen with lid and platter (platter with a crack),
2+1 round serving dishes (1 with a crack),
1 sauce boat,
1 oval dish,
1 tea saucer,
2 oval bowls length 25 cm.
Wear commensurate with age and use. Scratches. Cracks. Insignificant chip.
Hilma and Wilhelm Odelberg.
Industrialist Wilhelm Odelberg (1844-1925) led the Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory from 1869 to 1925.
Wilhelm Odelberg was enrolled at Uppsala University in 1863. He became a corporal in the Södermanland Regiment the same year, took his officer's examination in 1864, and became a second lieutenant that year. From 1865 to 1866, he studied languages and agriculture in Scotland, France, and Germany. He became a lieutenant in the regiment in 1873 and finally retired from the military in 1876, thereafter dedicating himself exclusively to running the Gustavsberg porcelain factory.
Odelberg had been the manager of the factory since 1869 and played a significant role in its development by introducing social measures to improve the workers' conditions, primarily through the construction of housing for them, as well as initiatives such as a grocery store with favourable prices for the employees. He also modernised the production in the factory, both technically and artistically.