More Christmas before it's boxed away

The Christmas tree came down this weekend and is now at the curb.  Here are a few more pictures of Christmas to tide us over until next year.

The tomte is by Rolf Berg from Sweden.  The blue and white ball is a Royal Copenhagen ornament.

Rolf Berg Viking Ship

Every so often I'll come across a Rolf Berg piece that I've never seen before.  I love this Viking on a ship!

Rolf Berg Tomte med Måne

Today is our dog Bongo's 6th birthday.  Happy Birthday Bongo!

Christmas Decorations

One of our kitchen shelves with a Nittsjö bird, Rolf Berg tomte, and a Rörstrand covered pot.  Tomorrow the tree is coming down, really.  We got these two flag ornaments this year - the Norwegian flag for my heritage, and the Italian flag for my partner.

Rolf Berg Tomte Ornament

Christmas Decorations

We put the Marimekko Kanteleen Kutsu cards in little frames and used the sticky 3M hooks to hang them on the wall (we really wanted some of the fabric, but the cards are a bit more affordable!).  Some of Christmas-themed Rolf Berg tomten are on the sideboard.

Viking Invaders

Some of my Viking collection.  Most of them are by Rolf Berg from Sweden, and there are also Vikings by Maigon Daga, Upsala Ekeby, Lindshammar, and Lisa Larson.

Rolf Berg Tomte and Horse

Taken with my Diana 120-mm camera.

Vikings

The little guy in the center is a viking by Rolf Berg of Sweden.  I don't know who made the wooden viking - I found it at a Scandinavian importer's warehouse sale.  The big viking was made by Maigons Daga in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Daga was a ceramic artist who primarily made animals and used very nice, organic glazes, which elevated his pieces to an artistic level.  Most of his pieces are mounted on a piece of stone or wood.  This is my first non-Scandinavian piece posted here - Daga was from Latvia and worked for a time in Adelaide, Australia before moving to Minneapolis in 1954 and opening his studio in 1970.  His distinctive style and glaze techniques are very at home with the works of other Scandinavian ceramicists, though.

The Rolf Berg viking is an early piece, as evident by the hand-incised RB on the base.  Daga signed almost all of his pieces with his last name written on the bottom of the stone (or wood) base, and also usually in the glaze on the bottom of the pottery pieces.

Rolf Berg Tomte - Friday Fun

Rolf Berg Viking - Friday Fun

Viking on a horse by Rolf Berg of Torshalla, Sweden.  The base is marked with an incised RB.

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.