Vase thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 140, Factory Ceramics

Vase

ca. 1940-1952 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Arabia ceramics factory was founded in 1873 near Helsinki. It was established by the Swedish company Rorstrand to enable them to take advantage of lower duties for Russian markets, but was sold off to a Finnish company by 1916.

Toini Muona was one of the earliest members of Arabia’s Art Department. The Art Department was founded in the 1930s under the leadership of artistic director Kurt Ekholm.

From the 1940s the ceramic artists working within the Art Department were encouraged to focus exclusively on studio wares. The factory went on to experience great success at the Milan Triennales of the 1950s where Toini Muona was awarded gold medals in 1951 and 1954.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain with red glaze
Brief description
Porcelain vase with a high temperature mottled red glaze, made by Toini Muona at Arabia, Helsinki, ca. 1940-1952.
Physical description
Porcelain vase with a high temperature mottled red glaze.
Dimensions
  • Height: 42.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
'TM' [in monogram incised]
Summary
The Arabia ceramics factory was founded in 1873 near Helsinki. It was established by the Swedish company Rorstrand to enable them to take advantage of lower duties for Russian markets, but was sold off to a Finnish company by 1916.

Toini Muona was one of the earliest members of Arabia’s Art Department. The Art Department was founded in the 1930s under the leadership of artistic director Kurt Ekholm.

From the 1940s the ceramic artists working within the Art Department were encouraged to focus exclusively on studio wares. The factory went on to experience great success at the Milan Triennales of the 1950s where Toini Muona was awarded gold medals in 1951 and 1954.
Bibliographic reference
Opie, Jennifer Hawkins. Scandinavia: ceramics & glass in the twentieth century. London: V&A Publications, 1989. 62 p., ill. ISBN 1851770712.
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.323-1955

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Record createdSeptember 22, 2008
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