This Kartano teapot is a hidden masterpiece from ARABIA, Finland's leading tableware manufacturer.
The series name Kartano means manor or mansion in Finnish, referring to the luxurious houses where medieval aristocrats lived. Contrary to the ornate name, the decoration is simple, but I think it expresses the scenery of an aristocratic manor. The regularly-spaced dots and grape-like patterns evoke a well-maintained garden.
The design was done by the duo Peter Winqvist and Esteri Tomura, who also came up with the famous Crocus. Esteri Tomura's style, who was in charge of the decoration, almost always incorporates flowers into her designs.
Kartano is a series that was produced for a short period of time until two years before Crocus was released. Crocus is still often seen in the vintage market, but Kartano is rare and almost impossible to obtain, probably because the original production volume was small. This time we have a particularly rare teapot in stock.
■Details Manufacturer: ARABIA Series: Kartano Form design: Peter Winquist Pattern design: Esteri Tomula Year: 1973-1976 Country of origin: Finland Condition: ★★★★☆ (4.5: Very good condition)
When held up to the light, there is a very slight scuff near the mouth where the lid was placed. There is also a small paint chip on one side. There is a slight wobble in the strainer, although this does not affect the use or fit of the lid. Overall, the condition is similar to that of a deadstock item with no signs of use.
■Size
Diameter 16.5cm Width 24cm Height 11.5cm
Esteri Tomula
Esteri Tomura (1920-1998)
Born in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Her father, who was a university professor, bought a villa in the countryside called Urjalan in northwest Helsinki, and her childhood was spent every summer at the villa with her family, which was rich in nature, which deepened her knowledge of nature. be done. Esteri Tomura had a congenital condition called dwarfism, and initially majored in ceramics at Aalto University of the Arts in Helsinki, but due to physical reasons, she was unable to work with clay satisfactorily. Therefore, he gave up on the career of ceramics and sought his own expertise in design.
After joining ARABIA , he honed his skills as a pattern designer with Laiya Uosikkinen, who became his lifelong friend. While Uosikkinen preferred abstract and geometric patterns, Tomura seeks the origin of his designs in the flowers and flowers of Finland, which was the original landscape of his childhood. Tomura, who created masterpieces despite his physical handicaps, has similarities with Birger Kaipiainen, who designed the timeless masterpiece Paratissi despite suffering from polio.