Torolf Prytz (26 December 1858 – 16 June 1938) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

architect, goldsmith and politician for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He led the goldsmith company ''J. Tostrup'' of Oslo from 1890 to 1938, having inherited it from his grandfather-in-law

Jacob Tostrup 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 county, Norway. He was the son of infantry captain Nicolay Tostrup (1768� ...

. He also served as Norwegian Minister of Industrial Provisioning from 1917 to 1918 and President of the

Norwegian Red Cross The Norwegian Red Cross (''Norges Røde Kors'') was founded on 22 September 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1895 the Norwegian Red Cross began educating nurses, and in 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization fo ...

from 1922 to 1930.

Background

He was born in

Alstahaug Alstahaug is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandnessjøen. Som ...

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

, Norway. He was the son of bailiff Eiler Hagerup Krog Prytz, Sr. (1812–1900) and his wife Anne Margrethe Thomessen (1820–1900). The family moved to Christiania (now Oslo) when he was 12 years old. Prytz went to Kristiania Technical School. After completing his education at the polytechnic college of the

University of Hannover Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover (german: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational Sc ...

, he was an assistant of architects

Georg Andreas Bull Georg Andreas Bull (26 March 1829 – 1 February 1917) was a Norwegian architect and chief building inspector in Christiania (now Oslo) for forty years. He was among the major architects in the country, and performed surveying studies and arche ...

and

Henrik Thrap-Meyer Henrik Thrap-Meyer (31 July 1833 – 29 December 1910) was a Norwegian architect. He is most associated with a wide range of significant buildings, including churches and schools. Thrap-Meyer was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the son of Jo ...

Career

He started a cooperation with goldsmith

Oluf Tostrup Oluf Tostrup (26 May 1842 – 21 July 1882) was a Norwegian goldsmith. He was born in Christiania as the son of goldsmith Jacob Tostrup (1806–1890) and his wife Lina Hjorthøy (1821–1890). He was a great-grandson of priest and topographer H ...

, a son of goldsmith

and co-owner in his company ''J. Tostrup''. Prytz became formally affiliated with ''J. Tostrup'' in 1882, when Oluf Tostrup died. In 1884, after two years of studying, he was promoted from head designer to co-owner. When Jacob Tostrup died in 1890, Prytz bought the entire company, retaining the tradename. He was an innovative

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, ma ...

designer, and strengthened the company's position as one of the leading goldsmith companies in Norway. In 1898, he was behind the moving into a new store, ''Tostrupgården'' on Karl Johans gate which was built between 1893 and 1898 with Prytz,

Waldemar Hansteen Albert Waldemar Hansteen (25 May 1857 - 4 May 1921) was a Norway, Norwegian architect. Biography Hansteen was born in Oslo, Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Supreme Court Attorney Christopher Hansteen (1822-1912) and Lagertha Ce ...

and

Christian Fürst Christian Fürst (15 April 1860 - 8 January 1910) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life Christian Fürst was a Norwegian architect, born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway on April 15, 1860, and died, on the 8th of January in 1910. He lived i ...

as architects. He served as a deputy representative to the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years base ...

during the term 1900–1903, representing the constituency of ''Kristiania, Hønefoss og Kongsvinger'', and served as Minister of Industrial Provisioning from 1917 to 1918. From 1922 to 1930 he was the President of the

. Prytz also chaired the board of ''Den norske Husflidsforening'' from 1907 to 1935, the

National Institute of Technology The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are the central government-owned-public technical institutes under the ownership of Ministry of Education, Government of India. They are governed by the National Institutes of Technology, Science ...

from 1916 to 1935 and the

Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design The Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design ( no, Kunstindustrimuseet) is a museum in Oslo, Norway. Its collection includes clothing, textile, furniture, silver, glass, ceramics, and handicrafts. Since 2003, the museum has been administra ...

from 1929 to 1934. He was among the founders of ''Den norske Husflidsforening'' and the National Institute of Technology, as well the ''Norges Gullsmedforbund''. He served as a member of the board of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design from 1884 to 1934, ''Den norske Husflidsforening'' from 1891 to 1937 and the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts The Oslo National Academy of the A ...

from 1892 to 1900 and 1904 to 1928.

Personal life

In July 1882, he married Hilda Nicoline Marie Tostrup (1861–1947), a granddaughter of Jacob Tostrup. Prytz was the father of Anne-Margrethe Cappelen Prytz (1888-1960) who was married to Erik Cappelen Knudsen (1882-1954), eldest son of Prime Minister

Gunnar Knudsen Gunnar Knudsen (19 September 1848 – 1 December 1928), born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Norway twice from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920. He also inherited ...

. He was also the father of Jakob Tostrup Prytz (1886-1962) who followed him into the management of ''J. Tostrup''. He was the grandfather of jewelry designers

Grete Prytz Kittelsen Grete Prytz Kittelsen (born Adelgunde Margrethe Prytz, June 28, 1917, Oslo, died September 25, 2010, Oslo), was a Norwegian goldsmith, enamel artist, and designer. She is one of the most well-known Norwegians in the Scandinavian Design movement, ...

and Jakob Tostrup Prytz, jr. He was also an uncle of Eiler Prytz who became a co-owner of ''J. Tostrup''. He was made a Commander 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 ...

and a Knight of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. Torolf Prytz died in June 1938 at

Vestre Aker Vestre Aker (Western Aker) is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It has a population of 50,157 as of 2020. The previous Aker Municipality was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948. The borough of Vestre Aker was organized as part of the 1 Ja ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prytz, Torolf 1858 births 1938 deaths People from Alstahaug University of Hanover alumni Architects from Oslo Norwegian goldsmiths Deputy members of the Storting Government ministers of Norway Politicians from Oslo Liberal Party (Norway) politicians Presidents of the Norwegian Red Cross Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur