Elle Pottery Bowl

This pottery bowl by the Elle studio on Norway belonged to my grandma.  I do actually use these bowls, too - this one occasionally holds herring.

The marks on the base are different from my previous Elle posts.  Some day I will post pictures of all of the marks on my pieces...

Turi-Design Lotte Set

The Lotte pattern, designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver, is another line that features fantastic 1960s images.  Whenever I see these, I think of the opening credits of old British sitcom "Good Neighbors" (or "The Good Life" as it was called in the UK) - they're not actually that similar, but for some reason they're just linked in my memory.  Turi started at Figgjo in 1960, but I don't know when this pattern was introduced.  We visited the Figgjo AS factory and shop this past spring, and they had a book on the history of the company.  We didn't buy it because it was in Norwegian, but I'm kicking myself now... I guess we'll just have to go back.

This is a salt and pepper set with a tray and small jam (syltetøy) jar.  The marks on the salt and pepper shakers simply say "Made in Norway," but the tray and jar have the full Figgjo mark with the name of the pattern, handpainted silkscreen, and turi-design.

Konrad Galaaen Princess

This large Porsgrund plaque, designed by Konrad Galaaen, consists of a flat porcelain figure mounted on a wooden board.  It was probably produced sometime between the late 1960s and the early 70s.  The back has a stamp of the Porsgrund anchor logo with the two Ps, "Porsgrund," and "Norway."

Viking Invaders

At first glance, this looks like a nice scene of some farmers with Viking ships in the distance, but then you notice the people at the beach fleeing in terror.  I love this little dish.  It's part of a set, so now I have another collecting goal.

The pottery company is Nymolle Art Faience of Denmark, and the designer is Paul Høyrup.

New Mystery Vase

I found this small vase yesterday, and a new mystery developed.  The style and clay color are very similar to my other Elle studio pieces, including my two previous posts, but the bottom is only marked with "Hand Made in Norway" and the shape/design numbers.  The same antique store had a mug with similar glaze techniques and red clay, also with "Hand Made in Norway" and a shape/design number on the bottom, but it had a sticker for the Graverens pottery factory in Sandnes, Norway.  So now I have to say I don't know who made this!  Perhaps the same artist, but working at different studios - or this is just a typical style of the time and place. It's frustrating that there seems to be a lack of online information on these Norwegian studios.

I found the goat runner fabric at a local Scandinavian wholesaler's warehouse sale.

Gunnar Nylund Dish by Rörstrand

This small dish is our first piece of Gunnar Nylund, found today at a local antique shop (along with several other Scandinavian pieces of ceramics). It's surprisingly heavy and thick-walled, and I love the organic glaze, simple leaf design, and arrowhead shape.

Etched by hand on the bottom are the Rörstrand "R" with three crowns, the artist's initials (GN), Sweden, and the shape number (either ASZ or A5Z).

Lisa Larson Odin - Friday Fun

Lisa Larson designed at least two Viking figures for K Studion in Gufsavsberg, Sweden.  This one is Odin, with his one eye and ravens.  The wooden viking ship behind him was carved by my grandpa when he was little.

Stavangerflint Flamingo - Bambus Tray

We rented a house on Rennesøy (where my great-grandfather was born) last spring for a few weeks, and the owners had several pieces of Stavangerflint, including this tray.  The design is Flamingo - Bambus, and features fish, lemon, and some herbs (dill or tarragon, perhaps).  The artist was Inger Waage.

Mons og Mille, Part 3

The last pair of the six Mons og Mille trivets, by Figgjo Flint, designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver.  I've reposted the other two pairs from my earlier posts, too.

Elle Plate

A small plate by the Elle pottery studio.  A few of the typical characteristics of this studio were the red color of the clay; the almost watercolor-look of the glazes; and the unglazed lines that make up some of the decoration, probably done with the wax resist method (correct me if I'm wrong).

The back is marked with Elle, Norway, some shape or design numbers, and possibly the artist's initials (it looks like a stylized TF), although notice that "Elle" is not written the same as on the vase in my earlier post.

Mons og Mille, Part 2

Two more of the Mons og Mille trivets by Figgjo Flint, designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver.

Nittsjö Keramik

Nittsjö Keramik is a Swedish pottery that was started in 1843 as a brick manufacturer.  Today they produce dishes and serving pieces, as well as holiday decorations (Rolf Berg has provided some tomte-themed designs). The Nittsjö website is in Swedish, but it gives a good overview of its products.  They seem to change designs often, and I believe this is older (1980s or '90s).  We have a few of their bowls, and they are sturdy and heavy.

This small bowl was an eBay find.  The bottom is marked with the company name, Sweden, and a shape or design number.

Mons og Mille

One recent eBay find was a set of six Mons og Mille trivet plaques by Figgjo Flint of Norway, designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver.  Here are two of them.  I tried an online translator for Mons og Mille (although I knew "og" meant "and") - and it means Mons and Mille.  So there you go.

The backs all have the identical mark.  I like that even the marks on the back look like they were designed by Turi.

Bing & Grøndahl Rabbit for Friday Fun

For a few Easters, my grandma gave me Bing and Grøndahl porcelain figures.  My mom has several other B&G figures that I have always loved.

The bottom is marked with the B&G logo, and KL - a quick internet search seems to indicate the artist was Kai Lange.  Based on the mark, I believe this piece was produced somewhere between 1970 and 1983.

Saga

This is a small ewer by Figgjo Flint in the Saga pattern.  I believe the artist may have been Turi Gramstad Oliver.

The base is marked with the Figgjo logo, Norway, Saga, Norsk Design, and Handpainted Silkscreen.

Stavangerflint Coffee Set

A coffee set in the Norrøna pattern designed by Inger Waage, including coffee pot, covered sugar bowl, and creamer.  A fantastic modern design.

The bottom is marked with the Stavangerflint logo, Norway, and Norrøna. The sugar bowl is also incised with Norway and 815.

Louise

This plate was a recent antique store bargain ($3!).  I knew very little about it, but at that price I had to take it home.  The plate was produced by Nymolle of Denmark, and the design by Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad features a woman (Louise) and her two cats.  I love this stylized drawing that just screams "Scandinavian pottery" to me, with so many little details like the flowers on her hat and on the ground.

The back is marked Nymolle, Denmark, the name of the design - Louise, and the artist's signature.  The artist signature is also on the front of the plate.

Porsgrund "The Old Story"

The middle dish was my grandma's, and it wasn't until recently that I discovered it was part of a set.  The three dishes were made by the Porsgrund porcelain company and are called "The Old Story."  The first shows a couple like Adam and Eve, complete with apple tree and snake.  Next the couple have a small child, a house, and a cat.  Finally, the couple is older and joined by their children and grandchildren.  The dishes were designed by Anne Marie Odegaard and Konrad Galaaen and are glazed in a flow-blue-like glaze.  Apparently the three dishes were sold together in a box with a short poem called "The Old Story."

Each of my three dishes has a different mark on the back.  Each dish has the Porsgrund logo with the anchor, PP, and Norway.  The other two dishes have the years of manufacture:  70 and 68.  Each dish also has it's code number:  All of them have M.2303; under that they have (from left to right) D.78009, D.78010, and D.78011.

Taisto Kaasinen Viking

Taisto Kaasinen designed this ceramic Viking in 1961 for Upsala Ekeby, a Swedish company, before leaving to work for Arabia in Finland.  The viking came in a few sizes, from very small to one over 9 inches tall.  The small glass viking has a very similar shape and features and was made by Lindshammar Glasswork in Sweden.

I should really start showing the marks.  The ceramic viking has an incised mark with the Upsala Ekeby logo (UE), Sweden, a shape number, and the artist's initials (-TK-).  The glass viking has a sticker that says Lindshammar, Sweden, and Handmade.

Elle from Norway

I have several pieces of this pottery, but know very little about it.  The bottom is usually marked with Elle, Norway, and some codes and/or a signature.  The word "EllE" is often written in a stylized script that looks like two Es with two small dots or slashes between them.  Some pieces also have a sticker label saying Elle, Norsk.

There seems to be very little information on these pottery companies online, at least in English.  Some online sources say that the Elle studio was started in 1942 in Torkildstranda in Drøbak near Oslo, that it was led by Tor Samuelsen, and that it produced pottery up until 1967.

Friday Fun

Many years ago my grandma started collecting Rolf Berg tomtes.  I inherited her collection, and have added to it over the years.  Rolf Berg has a studio and shop in Torshälla, Sweden.  Nearly all of his pieces are marked with a stylized RB on the base, and many have a sticker with his name, and "Torshälla, Sweden."  His older work has a definite hand-made quality with angular lines by the eyes that appear hand-carved, while more recent pieces are much smoother.  I certainly love them all, though.

Stavangerflint Plate

The design on this plate was created by Inger Waage.  She was born in Stavanger in 1923, joined Stavangerflint in the early 1950s, and was perhaps the best known artist at Stavangerflint.  

The back is marked with the Stavangerflint logo, Norway, Silkscreen, Hand Painted.  It looks like the black outlines were silkscreened, and the colors applied by hand.  I especially like the very loose and abstract application of the colors.

Gustavsberg Owls

Edvard Lindahl created these small owls for Gustavsberg, a Swedish porcelain company.  

Lisa Larson

Viking Ship tile by Lisa Larson of Gustavsberg, Sweden.

Figgjo Turi Vase

Most of the Stavangerflint and Figgjo Flint pieces I find are utilitarian - dishes, serving pieces, etc. They did produce purely decorative pieces as well, though, such as this small vase. It is marked Turi, Figgjo, Norway on the bottom.

One of the artists at Figgjo was Turi Gramstad Oliver; I don't know if this is her work, or simply named after her. I would assume it is hers - maybe someone can let me know.

Figgjo

I grew up with a few pieces of Figgjo Flint ceramics that my parents and grandma had, but it wasn't until going to the factory store and small museum in Figgjo, Norway this year that the Saga pattern really made an impact (and current collecting obsession).

Figgjo merged with Stavangerflint in 1968.

Stavangerflint Plate

Numbered 54-220 on the back and marked Stavangerflint, Handpainted, Norway.  This design was by Inger Waage.

Where to start

Best to start with a viking. This was designed by Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa.

Trivet by Stavangerflint.