Vase by Arabia Porcelain Factory, Helsinki, Finland

Vase c. 1902

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arabiaporcelainfactoryhelsinkifinland

minneapolisinstituteofart

ceramic

art-nouveau

ceramic

decorative-art

Dimensions: 14 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (36.8 x 16.51 cm)

This porcelain vase was made in Helsinki, Finland, by the Arabia Porcelain Factory, sometime after 1874. It's a beautiful object, and it makes me think about the relationship between art and craft. Look at the surface. The colours are laid on smoothly, without much texture. The factory has embraced simplicity and control, like someone trying to make a perfect line with a brush. The decoration feels both geometric and organic, a real meeting of minds. My eye is drawn to the diamonds that dance up the body of the vase. They make me think of Art Deco, but also something more ancient, like hieroglyphs. These shapes aren’t unique, but the way they're arranged gives them a special energy. It reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint, who explored geometric shapes in painting around the same time. There’s an interesting conversation happening here across painting and design, each borrowing from the other, always a process of exchange. What does it say to you?

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minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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Until the 1890s, Finland's Arabia porcelain company (founded in 1873 by the Swedish company Rörstrand to facilitate trade with Russia) largely mimicked the styles of Swedish domestic wares. The Fennia series, produced from 1902 until the early 1920s, demonstrates the development of a distinctive national style and a move beyond utilitarian wares as the firm expanded its production both nationally and internationally. Arabia marketed the Fennia series as quality ornamental ware. The line was originally produced for an American importer who commissioned ceramics with a decorative pattern by a "famous Finnish artist." The designs have been attributed to the famous Finnish architectural firm of Gesellius, Lindgren, and Saarinen. The line is distinguished by its striking and colorful decorative motifs on a white ground. The hand-painted designs, inspired by Karelian folk art, are an example of National Romanticism in Finland at the time, yet the bold pattern and bright color represent an early example of the flat, geometric style of painting developing elsewhere in Europe around this time.