How Peter and I Got Acquainted

My porcelain collection

A short introduction by Caroline

My collection was steadily growing, every trip to my moms country of origin I entered the antiquity and second hand shops to look for hidden treasures and missing pieces.

First pieces in my collection were a couple of stoneware bears in playful positions given to me as a child on Christmas Eve at grandpa´s and gradually I expanded my small collection.

Now figurines, vases, trays and occasionally some silver objects filled my cabinet.

It had started with a few gifts by morfar, mom and aunt during vacation trips on Fyn and I now that I earned a good income, I did my own collecting.

My new friend Peter had accompanied me on this trip to be introduced to aunt Inger and her husband Poul. Their two daughters M and B and son P lived nearby.

Peter was a colleague I met recently at an employee outing and seemed to be good company with an interest in Scandinavia we shared.

We had exchanged an occasional chaste kiss on the cheek when we parted and that was enough intimacy to both of us.

Peter had some trouble to pick up the language after we had arrived on Fyn but he tried hard. I could understand his ears and tongue had to adjust to the unfamiliar sounds around us.

I myself had been trained from an early age while staying with morfar during the Christmas holidays. Dancing hand in hand around the adorned tree I sang songs that after a few years were as familiar to me as our own Christmas melodies.

My porcelain collection still lacked some items and Peter knew what I was looking for. He visited the second hand shops while I browsed around in antiquity shops in the villages and towns we visited.

In just a week Peter had learned some of the basics of the language and he continued in English when the conversation did not make sense anymore to him or the shop keepers.

He had found and bought a stoneware white bear, missing in my collection and had been invited to take me along to visit the private collection of the shop keeper.

She was of Greenlandic origin and had written her home address on the receipt.

Peter had presented her my wish list.

A crested tit was one of the smaller items missing in my small zoo of animals and she had smiled and said she had some of these items as well as some figurines displaying oriental temple dancers at her place, we would perhaps be able to afford as well as a collection that was called the ´Hemmelig line´, produced for customers who had ordered pieces based on ancient and vintage scenes.

They could also be affordable to us on certain conditions, the Greenlandic lady had promised Peter.

To cut a long story short, it turned out Peter and I were received at the ladies country house and taken directly to a barn full of objects that were exquisite.

We only stayed there for a short while, making it impossible to have a closer look at the Hemmelig collection and were urged to enter a door that gave way to an art studio.

We entered and two gentlemen and a lady greeted us, speaking English. 'Meet my artists,' the lady said and sat herself on a chaise longue on the side.

A man with clay on his hands greeted me. 'Hi Peter, welcome to our studio. My name is Knud and these are Grethe and Kurt'

I noticed Knud, Grethe and Kurt were just dressed in a kind of hat or beret and a shawl around the neck.

Some candles were lit and we were invited on a platform in the middle. Knud said: 'Thank you for coming, we look forward to be inspired by you.

I understand you can choose whatever you like from the barn as a reward for your time with us.'

'Make yourselves comfortable and lay your clothes on the table over there.'

I looked at Peter and whispered 'Did you know about this?'

'No of course not.. I only was told we could get some rare pieces at a bargain if we both came here'

I had met Peter while on an employee outing and we had not even started to consider if we wanted more than just an occasional friendship, exchanging just a few chaste kisses so far when we parted, but nothing more intimate.

The Greenland lady switched on an overhead projector and a scene on a Greek vase appeared on the wall.

'Try that for a start,' she said and sat down, curious of our reactions.

Peter had quickly undressed with his back turned towards me and now he turned around.

I started to take of my shirt but hesitated to go on further as Peter stepped towards me and undressed me saying 'Did you see those rare pieces of porcelain in the barn, come on don´t be shy, a bit of posing for artists won´t hurt us'

As I stood next to Peter the Lady pointed at the scene projected on the wall,' please inspire the artists and create your own pieces for the Hemmelig line...'

I let Peter take control and fixed my eyes on some distant point without looking at the scenes that were projected one after the other each for about 15 minutes.

Peter guided us through all of the scenes and Kurt and Grethe assistied in the group activities that were from depicted in vintage Bayros sketches and similar artist fantasies.

When we were invited to get dressed and lead into the barn, the lady told us she looked forward to the next visit if we agreed to return in future.

She presented two shopping bags to take with us as we picked a few items, which she wrapped up carefully.

Later on we visited the shops website and we entered the secluded 'Hemmelig line' part of the site with the username and password we had been given on the way out.

Both in paint and in porcelain we could admire the artists impression of our performance in the studio. They were of a pretty explicit nature but in an elegant and even romantic style fitting in with the decorative styles in the more usual traditions.

One pretty raw depiction was inspired by a Greek decoration with two lecherous fauns with hooves and horns ravishing a nymph. The pastel colouring contrasted with the obscene details but it was recognisable as part of the porcelain fabrication tradition. I recognized Peter standing in front of me while I bowed down with Kurt behind me. It was simply titled "Nymph", ignoring her companions.

I still treated this as a one off adventure that did not influence the nature of my relationship with Peter, that remained to be on a basis of polite friendship.

It had been a business deal involving a barter of services for rare pieces that now were placed in my cabinet I said to myself.

On Fyn in the meantime aunt Inger seemed to know about the antiquity shop and the barn, but had only looked at Peter with a smile from the side when we came back with our filled bags and told me she would keep an eye on the website.

I instantly suspected aunt Inger and uncle Poul were no strangers to the Greenlandic ladies Hemmelig activities and wondered whether my mom suspected anything.

After all my mom had her own porcelain cabinet that had a few locked drawers that had never been opened while I was around as a child.

'That's for later,' mom had said, making me curious and hoping to get old enough soon.

Soon after we arrived back, I asked Peter if he fancied another visit to Fyn with me. He said as he smiled and winked "sure Caroline, are you planning another bargain hunt at the antique shop barn?"