Name: Scandinavian Rya Rug Wall Hanging Tapestry, Finland
Brand: Kirsti Ilvessalo
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

Scandinavian Rya Rug Wall Hanging Tapestry, Finland

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About the Item

Sananjalkametsä / Forest of Ferns Designed in 1955 by Kirsti Ilvessalo (1920-2019). Ilvessalo was one of the most prominent textile designers concentrating especially on the ryijy or rya rugs. She designed over 300 different ryas during her career and won the Grand Prix in the Milan Triennial 1954 with her rya Palokärki (Black Woodpecker). She also worked for over 20 years as a textile consultant for the architectural office of Alvar Aalto. To her, the rya was essentially not a tapestry but a textile that would be placed on the floor as a rug – a good example of how multi-functionality is a part of the rya tradition. Item features a Minimalist and abstract multi-color pattern in a color mix of grey, green, black and brown tones etc. The short history of a relatively long pile The ’ryijy’ (in Finnish) or ’rya’ (in Swedish) is a traditional Scandinavian wool rug which has its roots in the prehistorically era of northernmost Europe. Ryas were originally multipurpose textiles used traditionally as bed coverings and blankets that provided insulation in harsh climates when traveling by boat or sleigh. Their design gradually combined original motifs from local Folk Art tradition, including influence from oriental rugs brought to Scandinavia by Viking merchants and later, imitations of Baroque floral patterns seen in expensive imported fabrics within the homes of the nobility. Since 18th century, the Ryas became part of the Finnish wedding ceremony as a sort of prayer rug upon which the bride and groom stood during the ceremony. The textile was then hung on the wall of the new home of the married couple as a tapestry and served as a memento of the happy occasion. All country houses had a Rya on their wall. A national romanticism in the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries generated new interest in the use of folk textiles for interior decoration within new burdgeoning urban environments and inspired artists to make new Jugendstil influenced Rya designs. Following the recovery from World War II, the 1950s marked an international breakthrough of Finnish design. Functionalist furniture, ceramics, glassware and kitchen utensils became new areas of creative interest for a new generation of designers. This new wave of design influence led to a reinvention of the Rya as a modernist design piece during the golden age of Finnish design in the 1950s and 1960s. These Ryas were sold as kits with materials and design for home manufacturing as well as ready-made pieces by professional weavers such as Suomen Käsityön Ystävät (”The friends of handicrafts in Finland”). Both types can be considered genuine, for the tradition of Rya is essentially one of home manufacture and living Folk Art.

Creator:
Kirsti Ilvessalo (Designer)
Dimensions:
Width: 47.25 in (120 cm)Length: 63 in (160 cm)
Style:
Scandinavian Modern (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Cotton,Linen,Wool,Hand-Woven
Place of Origin:
Finland
Period:
Late 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Minor fading.
Seller Location:
Helsinki, FI
Reference Number:
Seller: ryijy nr.41stDibs: LU4034316831092