Look what I found--a green lacquered tray from the Festivaal line by Dansk.
In the Fall of 1959, Dansk began advertising the Festivaal line. The lacquered serving pieces were a nice complement to Dansk’s
line of brightly colored cookware.
Dansk Festivaal advertisement, December 1959
The Festivaal line was produced for just a few years and comprised only four pieces: a 23-inch oval tray, a 27-inch oval tray, a ‘thermo-tureen’ and ‘endwood tray’. These were all ‘hand-rubbed lacquer...on Danish maple.‘ The pieces were available in red, yellow, purple (!), orange, blue, green and black.
Dansk ad, November 1959, showing a red Festivaal thermo tureen
I can’t say why the line was so short lived, but I would guess that it was more expensive to produce and may not have sold terribly well. Festivaal items cost a bit more at the time, up to double what a similar piece in teak might run.
The material itself might have had something to do with it, too--lacquer is not the sturdiest of finishes. If it takes a bump, it’s all over. The colored finish will will dent and flake off and is difficult to repair. The wood can shrink or swell which causes the lacquer to crack all over. Finding a Festivaal piece in good shape is pretty tough these days, but they are out there.
The center section is endwood teak, similar to other Dansk cutting boards.
More on that awesome bowl another time!
And two more colors!
I sometimes have these trays and other Dansk items in my Etsy shop, and I'm always looking to buy more in good condition!
© All text and images are copyright of Jeni Sandberg