Ceramic Animal Sculptures

A stunning and unique stoneware rooster sculpture with amazing glaze. Made by Tyra Lundgren. Executed in her own studio in Sweden, 1955. Great condition, but with a couple of chips to the base (pictured). Signed by the artist in two places, and dated 1955-06-20. Provenance: bought from the estate of the artist in 1979. Tyra Lundgren (1897-1979) was one of the most multifaceted artists and modernists of the twentieth century. She was a painter, drawer, sculptor, ceramist, glass- and textile designer, as well as an author and an art critic. She was the first woman who designed glass for Paolo Venini at Murano in Venice and she also served as the artistic leader at Arabia in Helsinki at a time when men tended to hold those kinds of positions. Tyra Lundgren grew up in Djursholm, near Stockholm. Her parents were John Petter Lundgren, professor at Veterinärinstitutet (institute of veterinary sciences) in Stockholm, and Edith Lundgren née Åberg, who was a housewife and raised their six children. The bourgeois home also comprised a nanny and a female cook. The family were very socially active, travelled often, and enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle. Tyra Lundgren’s schooling began at Djursholm coeducational school, where her teachers included Natanael and Elsa Beskow and Alice Tegnér. Her school friends included Greta Knutson-Tzara, Stellan Mörner, and Ingrid Rydbeck-Zuhr. Tyra Lundgren knew from the time she was five years old that she wanted to be an artist. She first became aware of the profession through Axel Fahlcrantz, who rented a studio on the plot of land where she lived with her family. In 1913 she began to attend Högre konstindustriella skolan (HKS, now known as Konstfack, college of arts, crafts and design) where she studied decorative art as well as handicrafts in various forms until 1917. One of her fellow students and friends there was Estrid Ericson, who later founded Svenskt Tenn AB in 1924. Whilst attending HKS Tyra Lundgren also took painting lessons at the Althin school of painting. In 1917 she was accepted as a candidate at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts where, apart from breaks during which she undertook studies abroad, she remained until 1922. She spent a couple of months taking lessons from Anton Hanak in Vienna and from 1920–1923 she was a student of André Lhote in Paris. Tyra Lundgren was primarily active in four countries: Sweden, Finland, France, and Italy. She spent much of her professional life travelling and considered herself to be a European. Greece and Mexico also formed important centres in her artistic life, as did the USA. She had an extensive social network which included focal individuals within twentieth century-European and American artistic and cultural circles. Tyra Lundgren’s main artistic motifs were birds, fish, and people which she depicted through different techniques and materials. Her artistic expression involved a variety of different directions and styles. She was a pioneer of the 1920s Swedish Grace style, the name of which had been coined by the art critic Morton Shand at the Stockholm Exhibition of 1930. This was a Swedish Art Deco style, characterised by elegance and traditional art which contrasted with the current artistic ideals of functionalism. Tyra Lundgren made her debut at a group exhibition held at Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna in 1921. She went on to show her work at various exhibitions throughout the 1920s. After that period she only very rarely exhibited her paintings. Tyra Lundgren’s painted output can be divided into different periods or stylistic directions. The first of these, and the most extensive, was her post-Cubist period which began in 1920 on her arrival in Paris. Her paintings from this time and right up to the mid-1930s typically comprise portraits, self-portraits, live-model painting, still-lifes, interiors, and landscapes in the Cubist style. Many of the great number of self-portraits she painted were produced in the New Objective style, displaying broad variation in terms of clothes, poses and techniques. Two of these – Huvud med vit duk and Självporträtt both from 1921 – can be seen at Moderna Museet in Stockholm, although the majority of these works are at Gotlands Museum. Tyra Lundgren’s second artistic period comprises the years of 1927 to 1929 and is characterised by the New Objective style inspired by medieval techniques and materials (Giotto, Piero della Francesca). Her motifs were still-lifes and landscapes. At this point she was living in Rome and was close to the circle involved in the Valori plastici: rivista d’arte art journal. This period saw a breakthrough in her development as a painter. From the 1950s through the 1970s her work can almost be described as belonging to the Concrete style. Using light pastel colours her paintings sought light in a sometimes non-figurative expression, but often depicting abstract bird-shapes or other nature-inspired imagery. Her paintings from this period are outsized and display powerful colours, in yellows, reds, and blues. Tyra Lundgren maintained a constant production of drawings, both in terms of individual artworks and sketches for patterns and designs. She also produced the illustrations for her book Fagert i Fide. Årstiderna på en gammal gotlandsgård, published in 1961. During her early years she also produced advertising illustrations. She spent the final years of her life primarily working with lithographs which were printed at Galleri Prisma and depicted images of doves, swallows, magpies and crows. Tyra Lundgren is meanwhile best known for her work as a ceramist and in this sphere she was one of Sweden’s leading exponents. She worked in the porcelain industry as a designer and as an artisan and ceramic sculptor. Her first job was at St Eriks Lervarufabrik in Uppsala from 1922–1924, she then worked at Arabia from 1924–1937, and at Rörstrand and Lidköping Porslinsfabrik. She was the artistic leader at Arabia ahead of the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition and she exhibited her work at the World’s Fairs. During the 1934–1938 period she was connected to the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres porcelain factory in Paris. Tyra Lundgren was a pioneer when it came to giving ceramic art a public space in Sweden. She produced around 20 outsized reliefs in stoneware, so-called monumental reliefs. One of these is Märkeskvinnor, from 1947, for the former girls’ school at Bohusgatan in Stockholm. From the 1940s onwards Tyra Lundgren produced sculptural objects in Chamotte clay and stoneware, with various glazings. Her small birds are well-known and popular with many. When her ceramic efforts became too much for her during the 1970s she then produced models for sculptures in bronze. There are six of these in various places around the globe, including Solfågel in Almedalen, Visby. Tyra Lundgren began to work as a glassware designer at Moser in Karlsbad in 1922 where she designed new table services and modernised older ones. She also worked freelance for Riihimäki factory in Finland during the 1924–1929 period. From 1934 to 1938 she was employed by Kosta glass factory where she mainly designed thick-walled bowls and vases, engraved with classical motifs. She was introduced to the glassmaker Paolo Venini at Murano during the Triennale di Milano of 1936 and they began a collaboration that lasted into the 1950s. As part of this collaboration Tyra Lundgren became the first woman to design glassware and, in conjunction with the glassblower Arturo Biasutto, she developed new techniques of glass production. Her motifs at this point were birds, fish, snail-shaped designs and leaf-patterned bowls using traditional techniques as well as in new designs. It was during this time that she created the so-called tissue-shaped bowls and it remains unclear as to who specifically came up with the design but Tyra Lundgren claimed it was of her making. Tyra Lundgren was active as textile designer for Licium (now HV Licium), the sacred textiles...

A beautiful abstract ceramic bird by Børge Jørgensen 'no 3800'. Ceramic cock figurine with a glaze by Sven A. Jensen. Manufactured by Söholm Ceramics, ...

This ceramic wall art piece hails from 1960s Europe. It portrays an enchanting mermaid with a serene expression, gracefully holding a flower. Measuring 18 inches in size, it exemplif...

Mid-Century Modern Horse Ceramic Sculpture by Aldo Londi, Italy, 1960

Awesome Mid-Century Modern Royal Haeger style ceramic black panther sculpture. Beautiful vintage condition with no cracks, chips, or crazing found. circa...

1950s Elephant Perfume Lamp made of porcelain. A cute looking Perfume Lamp - Perfume Light in the shape of an Elephant. It's a very beautiful and detailled elephant sculpture with ...

Handsome ceramic horse statue in glossy glazed blue with multicolored detailing. Stands 18.5" tall. Good condition with imperfections consistent w...

White Puma Sculpture. A bisquit - unglazed porcelain puma sculpture. This White Puma Sculpture is very expressive and has hand-painted golden accents ...

Italian midcentury modern design large blue glazed ceramic stylized horse sculpture designed by Aldo Londi and produced by Bitossi Fiorentino, Italy 1960s Please note that the ceram...

Shellfish French 1960 Table Lamp in Ceramic Representing a Fish Vallauris This can be use as a Decorative Garniture. Vallauris & Monaco, France, Table Lamp in Glazed Ceramics Shaped ...

French Art Deco stoneware bear by Paul MILET, 8, rue Troyon, Sèvres, France, 1930s. Height : 32.5cm - 12.8 in. , Width : 34cm - 13.4 in., Depth : 13.5cm-5.3in. A pinhead lack of cove...

- perfect original condition - marked jr

This ‘Big Blue Caterpillar’ an 18 inch tall master work sculpture was designed and hand-painted by Eva Fritz-Lindner (1933-2017). This is a creative handmade, hand-painted and hand...

Glazed crackled ceramic celadon horse sculpture. Marked under the base "Made in Italy" Italy: circa 1950.  

French Art Deco ceramic fish sculpture by Santiago Rodriguez Bonome, France, 1940s. Superb work with Bonome's specific colors : green, red and bl...

Majolica Chicken jardinière Italy, circa 1960. Stamped: Italy A real treasure for the ceramics' collector. With best wishes, Geert.  

An absolutely stunningly detailed hand made large ceramic Greyhound statue. Dating to the 1960's, Italian and fully stamped to the base. This i...

The piece are in perfect condition

A very nice pair of vintage, medium size, turquoise blue, ceramic foo dogs, circa 1960s. Excellent condition and patina; makes a fun decor item in any room!

Shellfish French 1960 Table Lamp in Ceramic Representing a Fishes Vallauris Has to be re-electrified. This can be use as a Decorative Garniture

Pair of Antique Chinese Figurines Foo Dog Sculpture Green Glaze Ceramic 8 tall x 3.75 w x 6.5 d Preowned original vintage condition. Refer to...

Mari Simmulson for Upsala Ekeby, Sweden. Ceramic owl sculpture. From the 1960s. Model number: 6058. Marked with the manufacturer's mark. In perfect condition. Dimensions: Height 17.5...

Porcelain perfume lamp in the shape of a brown bear - porcelain bear sculpture with light inside. This wild animal figurine - animal statue date...

French modernist glazed ceramic monkey sculpture by Gabriel Beauvais,1930. This sculpture was made in a turquoise blue glaze ceramic, a stunning color most likely by Kaza Edition in ...

Walking Grizzlibear : Original clay patinated terracotta sculpture Monogrammed on the base (to be identified) Good condition Second half of XXth century Dimensions Height = 25 c...

Large ceramic tiger stands over 26" tall. Beautifully glazed finish and the coveted "roaring" pose. Good condition with very minor imperfections, n...

Fabulous pair of porcelain staffordshire hunting dog figures sitting on grass cushions with gold trim. Underneath the protective felt pad is a hole which the company purposely made s...

Italian Mid-Century Ceramic Sculpture of a Blue Herron, Signed and Numbered Offered for sale is an Italian mid-century colorful ceramic sculpture of a Blu...

Danish Knud Kyhn bear family figurines for Royal Copenhagen The lively bears were created by Knud Kyhn (1880-1969) in 1957. Knud Kyhn worked for for Royal Copenhagen from 1903-1910,...

Fritz Heidenreich for Rosenthal, Germany. Large standing porcelain poodle. Approximately from the 1930s. Model number 5155. Marked. In perfect condition. First factory quality. Dimen...

Impressive Italian Art Deco 1940s large table clock in ceramic, white and light blue ceramic in good condition.  

Pair of Bronze elephants on porcelain decorative columns with bronze borders designed by Wong Lee.

Italian Glazed Ceramic Dog Sculpture. Well detailed Italian glazed ceramic dog statue or sculpture of a Sheep Dog. Stamped Ronzan, Made In Italy.

Couple of ceramic Staffordshire spaniels, England, ca.1950. Each - Width: 10.8"(27.5cm), Height:13.8"(35cm), Depth: 5.1"(13cm). Marked "Seswick England 1378-1" under the bases.

Italian modernist hen or partridge ceramic sculpture from Raymor. Bird measures 6.25" by 5" by 6.5" and is signed beneath. It also retains its original paper sticker from Raymor. ...

Sporting a 'Dutch Cut' to his coat, this adorable ceramic poodle stands tall and proud Collar and feet are gilded, the glaze is a delicious toffee caramel colour and the eyes are pin...

Danish Knud Kyhn bear figurine for Royal Copenhagen The lively bear was created by Knud Kyhn (1880-1969) in 1957. Knud Kyhn worked for for Royal Copenhagen from 1903-1910, 1924-1932...

A large vintage Tang style Sancai glazed terracotta horse. This exquisite piece features a striking green and brown color glazed finish, infusing it with ...

Book end or hupopotam sculpture in biscuit ceramic

Incredible couple Art Deco in porcelain polycrhome parrots circa 1930.

A fabulous vintage Terra Cotta Boho dog. A chic Boxer with a brilliant hand painted design. Made in Italy. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate.

Small, but elegant. This beautiful porcelain sculpture shows a billy goat laying down. Black goat with white horns and beautiful details with almost an abstract features so typical f...

"Verso la vita", artwork by Clelia Bertetti, Lenci school, signed "Le Bertetti", Turin, 1930s. Glazed porcelain figurine depicting a woman blowing in the wind on the bow of a boat. S...

A pair of vintage Staffordshire style spaniel dogs with a white body and accented by gold streaks.

THis item are in absolutly perfect condition with great colors. A Masterpiece from Prof. Th. Krämer for Rosenthal.

We are thrilled to offer for sale this exceptionally rare and sought-after piece of Mid-Century Italian design - a stunningly large "Rimini Blu" ceramic horse sculpture by Aldo Londi...

A porcelain monkey designed by KPM. A beautiful vintage decorative piece, created Berlin, Germany by the royal porcelain factory company of KPM (Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur). Fi...

Crackle glaze ceramic sculpture by LEJAN at Orchies, France, ca.1925. "EAGLE". Height: 16.1" (41cm), Width: 7.3" (18.5cm), Depth: 7.5" (19cm). Marked "LEJAN" on the base (very hard t...

Retro Delight: Vallauris Style Ceramic Fish – 1950s Joie de Vivre in a Burst of Colors Immerse yourself in the exuberant ambiance of the 1950s with our ceramic fish inspired by the i...

Bitossi for Raymor Lion, Ceramic, Yellow, Signed. Chunky medium scale animal sculpture with whimsical detail and glazed in fun Pop Art yellow. Retai...

Pair of hand painted porcelain foo dogs from Japan feature a cinnabar body with colorful accents and gold detailing. Marked "Genuine Katani, Made in Japan". Both sit on separate porc...

Flock of 10 swallows in glazed terracotta, Italy, 1960s Intact and in good condition. Small signs of aging. Found in a noble apartment.

Fabulous and elegant porcelain life size figure of a female whippet. Absolutely so real life like it's amazing! Such a beautiful face you want to hug this dog. 11 x 20 x 24h and weig...

A pair of two lovely detailed Midcentury poodle figurines, called „Peggy" from the 1950s. Designed and handcrafted by Leopold Anzengruber in Vienna, Austria. Decorative and lovely pi...

Striking black and yellow Tigris cat vase designed by Anneleise Beckh for West German company Schmider Keramik Inscrutable expression on this strong design pi...

Beautiful and rare ceramic Rookwood Raven bookends, mid-1940s, USA. Turquoise crackle glaze.

French Art Deco2200 elephant sculpture by Charles LEMANCEAU at Saint-Clement (Luneville), France, 1930. Width: 14.9"(37.8cm), Height: 9.45"(24cm), Depth: 5.6"(14.3cm). Condition : Ve...

A beautiful and decorative, lovely detailed sculpture/ figurine, vintage from the 1950s, portraying a sitting nude African woman with a brass bracelet wearing a skirt. Designed and h...