Jacob Ulrich Holfeldt Tostrup (1 July 1806 – 31 January 1890) was a Norwegian jeweler, goldsmith and silversmith.

Biography

Tostrup was born at Hjelmeland, in

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He was the son of infantry captain Nicolay Tostrup (1768–1858) and his wife Thale Margrethe Resen Holfeldt (1779–1860). He was born into a family with eight siblings. Around 13 years of age, he worked for a local silversmith. He started as a goldsmith apprentice in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

between 1823 and 1828. He then had short stays in St. Petersburg and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He received his journeyman's certificate in 1828. He then moved to Christiania (now Oslo) and acquired burghership in 1832. In 1832, he founded the jewelers firm ''J. Tostrup'', gradually expanding his business with more production equipment and better localities. Tostrup held several positions in the goldsmith's guild and artisan associations. His firm made the original enameled insignia for the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

, when the order was established in 1848 and later in 1883 it was put in charge of the whole production. ''J. Tostrup'' received the title royal court jeweler, and Jacob Tostrup received the Norwegian King's Medal of Merit in gold (''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') and was appointed a Knight of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

for his work as a goldsmith.

Personal life

In February 1839 he married Lina Hjorthøy (1821–1890), a granddaughter of priest and topographer

Hugo Fredrik Hjorthøy Hugo Fredrik Hjorthøy (9 May 1741 – 29 August 1812) was a Norwegian priest and topographer. He was born in Klepp as the son of vicar Hugo Fredrik Hjorthøy (1700–1741) and his wife Inger Beata Schreuder (1705–1791). His father died before ...

. They had five children. Their son Oluf Tostrup became involved in the company, but died in 1882. Instead Tostrup took on his granddaughter's husband

Torolf Prytz Torolf Prytz (26 December 1858 – 16 June 1938) was a Norwegian architect, goldsmith and politician for the Liberal Party. He led the goldsmith company ''J. Tostrup'' of Oslo from 1890 to 1938, having inherited it from his grandfather-in-law ...

as a partner in 1884. Torolf Prytz became owner of the store after Jacob Tostrup's death. Prytz, a skilled architect, was one of the designers behind the new store, Tostrup Yard (''Tostrupgården''), built 1893–1898 at Karl Johans gate 25, next to the Norwegian Parliament. Torolf Prytz' son, and Jacob Tostrup's great-grandson, Jakob Tostrup Prytz (1886–1962) also became a notable jewelry designer and goldsmith.

References

Other sources

* Finne-Grønn, Stian Herlofsen. ''Familien Tostrup fra Lister'' (Christiania, 1897). * Kielland, T. ''Om gullsmedkunst i hundre år. J. Tostrup 1832–1932'' (1932).

External links

Jacob Tostrup designs
at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design {{DEFAULTSORT:Tostrup, Jacob 1806 births 1890 deaths People from Hjelmeland Norwegian jewellers Norwegian goldsmiths Norwegian silversmiths Norwegian company founders Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour