SONJA HENIE'S TROPHIES

The collection consists of about 600 single objects, most of them of silver, which group themselves into about 200 units - sets of table-silver, tea- and coffee-services in several pieces, candlesticks and entree-dishes in pairs. It covers a period of more than 40 years: the earliest skating trophies date from the winter of 1925, when Sonja was 12 years old, while the gilt tureen with the skate on the cover was presented to her in Los Angeles in 1967. The silver-mounted paper knife, which she herself identified as her earliest trophy, cannot now be dated or attached to any specific occasion.

Of the greatest interest are, of course, the trophies which can be directly associated with Sonja Henie's victories in the big competitions, national and international, while skating as an amateur. The series of great championship trophies is, however, incomplete. There are cups for all her ten World championships, but only five for her six European championships, and no cups at all for her three Olympic victories. Perhaps cups were not presented on all occasions, some pieces may have been lost on journeys or at removals. But the series of medals is complete, and gives the full survey of this unique skating career.

The collection also includes a number of prizes won by Sonja in competitions in skiing, tennis, motor racing and at dog-shows, but these are of course modest in size compared to the skating trophies.

A large number of the items are not really trophies, but gifts presented to Sonja Henie after performances in Norway and abroad. Some bear inscriptions which identify the place, date and occasion, while some bear only Sonja's name or initials and no others inscriptions at all. A few of the latter can still be associated with specific occasions, either by tradition or by the goldsmiths' marks, but many will have to remain anonymous.

About 30 items belonged to Sonja Henie's father. In his youth he was a brilliant racing cyclist, and some quite magnificent trophies in this sport date from the years 1889-1901. Later in life he won some smaller prizes in motor- and boat-racing.

The collection is about equally divided between Norwegian and foreign silver.

Most of the Norwegian pieces are the products of large well-known goldsmiths' firms like Tostrup and David-Andersen, Thune and Frisch in Oslo and Thv. Marthinsen in Tønsberg. The majority of the cups, whether big or small, plain or richly ornamented, are made to the same basic model: a cup on a hollow foot, with the inside silver gilt, and the outside surface hammered and chased with leaves and flowers in a style derived from Norwegian folk art. The cups for the Norwegian championships are made to this pattern, and cups of identical size and shape were being presented to the winner of the famous Holmenkollen skiing competition during the same period, the 1920s.

A few pieces are in the simple, functional style of the period. Guttorm Gagnes designed the cup for the World championship of 1934, and Thorbjørn Lie-Jørgensen designed a pair of plain, covered bowls from the same year. All were produced by David-Andersen.