Stoneware “Argenta” Vase by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940s
View Similar Items
Stoneware “Argenta” Vase by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940s
About the Item
- Creator:Wilhelm Kage (Designer),Gustavsberg (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 8.27 in (21 cm)Diameter: 6.82 in (17.3 cm)
- Style:Scandinavian Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good vintage condition consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Stockholm, SE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1638225379072
Gustavsberg
The Gustavsberg porcelain factory was, for many decades, the largest ceramics maker in Sweden and home to some of the most innovative and ingenious makers of the past century. The company, founded in 1825, mass-produced a wide range of products: first decorative household items and tableware in the English style and later bathroom fixtures, including the first pressed-steel bathtubs that would oust heavy cast iron. But of first interest to collectors are the remarkable decorative works created in the Gustavsberg art pottery studio, in particular those by master ceramists Wilhelm Kåge, Berndt Friberg and Stig Lindberg.
Gustavsberg began producing some individually crafted, highly decorated and richly glazed pieces in the 1860s. While the forms of their mass-produced vessels and plates derived from English, Continental and Asian styles, a select few painters won acclaim for their personal artistry. Gunnar Wennerberg became known for his work in the organic Art Nouveau style, and Josef Ekberg, the company’s design chief from 1908 to 1917, was revered for his expert use of iridescent lusterware glazes and the sgraffito technique, in which a decorative pattern is incised in the surface of a clay pot before it is glazed and fired.
It was not until Ekberg’s successor, Wilhelm Kåge, opened Gustavsberg’s first dedicated art pottery studio that the work became widely recognized. Kåge’s “Argenta” series, which encompasses a variety of vessels coated with an oxidized green glaze and decorated in silver motifs, remains popular. Though perhaps his most striking works are his “Surrea” vases — white bisque porcelain in off-kilter forms inspired by Cubist paintings — and his “Farsta” wares, which include totemic, spindly footed stoneware vases and bowls with textured surfaces, glazed in brown, green and blue.
Kåge’s finest protégés, Berndt Friberg and Stig Lindberg, took over from Kåge as Gustavsberg’s design directors in 1945. Friberg was a master potter. He threw elegant, simple, symmetrical vases and bowls painstakingly coated in layer after layer of matte glazing to achieve a classic striated effect known as “rabbit’s fur.” Lindberg’s highly collectible studio ceramics fall into two principal categories: The first is made of white porcelain pieces in round, biomorphic or stylized natural forms. The second includes weightier vases — many with textured bodies and applied decorations — glazed in deep, earthy colors. As you will see from the works on these pages, Gustavsberg was a bastion of creativity and precise artistry that turned out a remarkable range of works whose style still resonates with lovers of Scandinavian design.
- Midcentury Stoneware “Argenta” Vase by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SELovely stoneware “Argenta” vase by Wilhelm Kåge in a curvesome form. Decorated with a motif of a woman playing a harp. Lovely attention to detail. “Argenta” was introduced at the ...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Midcentury Stoneware “Argenta” Vase by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SEStoneware “Argenta” vase by Wilhelm Kåge with beautiful silver decor of a big fish chasing a smaller fish, chasing a smaller fish. Lovely attention to every detail, scales and bubble...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Stoneware "Farsta" Vase by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SEStriking “Farsta” vase by Wilhelm Kåge, in a cylinder form with thick sides. Dramatic cutout opening, brown glaze with blue streaks reminiscent of oxidized bronze. “Farsta” stonewar...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Stoneware "Farsta" Vase by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SE“Farsta” vase with thick, blue glazed walls balancing on an unglazed base decorated with etched stripes. Production year inscripted on the base. “Farsta” stoneware is recognized a...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Stoneware "Farsta" Vase by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SE“Farsta” vase by Wilhelm Kåge in a plump, tapering form. Graphic decor, elevated on unglazed feet. “Farsta” stoneware is recognized as being the best and most exclusive that has c...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Stoneware "Farsta Rust" Vase by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SEStriking “Farsta Rust” vase by Wilhelm Kåge with a geometric pattern contrasting with the characteristic “Farsta” rustic feeling. “Farsta” stoneware is reco...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Vase 'Celadon' by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg Studio, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Malmö, SEBeautiful vase made by Wilhelm Kåge at Gustavsberg Studio in Sweden, 1940s. Celadon glazed stoneware. Excellent condition. Impressed 'Gustavsberg / CELADON / KÅGE / HANDDREJAD...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsCeramic, Stoneware
- White Surrealistic Vase, "Surrea" by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, 1940sBy Wilhelm Kage, GustavsbergLocated in Stockholm, SEA lovely vase of model Surrea designed by Wilhelm Kåge at Gustavsberg in the 1940s. It is 23 cm high and in very good condition except from some minor scratches in the glaze. It is n...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsPorcelain
- Large White Vase, "Surrea" by Wilhelm Kåge, Gustavsberg, 1940sBy Wilhelm Kage, GustavsbergLocated in Stockholm, SEA lovely, large vase of model Surrea designed by Wilhelm Kåge at Gustavsberg in the 1940s. It is 45.5 cm high and in very good condition except from some minor marks in the glaze and...Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Vase ‘Surrea’ designed by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SEVase ‘Surrea’ designed by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940s. Stoneware with Carrara glaze. The ‘Surrea’ vase was made by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg in 1940. The Swede b...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware
- Argenta Stoneware by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940sBy Gustavsberg, Wilhelm KageLocated in Barcelona, ESTwo pieces of Argenta stoneware designed by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg. Swedish Art Deco / Swedish Grace.Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Art Deco Platters and Serveware
MaterialsStoneware
- Vase 'Surrea' by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Stoneware, Sweden, circa 1940By Wilhelm KageLocated in Stockholm, SEVase ‘Surrea’ by Wilhelm Kåge for Gustavsberg, Sweden, 1940. Carrara-glazed stoneware. Stamped "GUSTAVSBERG KÅGE". Measurements: H: 32.5 cm/ 12 3/4...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsStoneware