Viking

We found this little Viking yesterday. He was designed by Elsi Bourelius, and made by Jie Gantofta of Sweden.

Orrefors Glass Viking

A birthday present. :)

Two New Vikings

Two Vikings that I recently found. One by Rolf Berg, the other is Nittsjö.

Stogo Viking

This was an impulsive eBay buy - I didn't know anything about Stogo, but thought he was pretty fun. He looks like he would be a bobble-head, but the head is fixed to the base. A few quick googles showed that Stogo made a lot of dish ware in the 1960s. The bottom is marked with the company name an Denmark.

Taisto Kaasinen Vikings

Our Taisto Kaasinen Viking family continues to grow - we just found the metal one in the front.

Stavangerflint Viking Vase

This three-sided vase was designed by Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa for Stavangerflint.  The base of this one is not marked.

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!

Marianne Starck Plate

Designed by Marianne Starck for Michael Andersen & Son of Denmark.

Upsala Ekeby Vikings

I just recently got the large Upsala Ekeby Viking by Taisto Kaasinen to go with his smaller friend.

Stavangerflint Viking Plate

This is what we woke up to this morning: -14˚F/-26˚C.  It's bracing.

 

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.

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.

Nymolle Viking Invaders Dish

Another in the series of Viking invader dishes by Nymolle Art Faience of Denmark.  The artist is Paul Høyrup.

Stavangerflint Viking Mugs

A pair of Stavangerflint mugs designed by Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa.  Each mug has both Viking designs.

Lisa Larson Viking

Lisa Larson Viking Ship Tiles

We found another Viking ship tile by Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg, mislabeled in the auction as a trivet (I can't imagine using it as a trivet!) and with her name misspelled.  My first one is on the left, my new one on the right.  I have seen other versions of this tile online that have different designs on the shields, but these two match - although the glaze on the sail is different.

The mark on my previous post was just "Lisa L."

The mark on my second tile includes "Gustavsberg."

The backs are plain.  The first tile was clearly hung on a wall, though, and has lots of scratches from the nail.

Rolf Berg Viking - Friday Fun

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

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.

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.

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.