A ceramic statue of a hippopotamus and a small bird (Flodhast med faglar) from the Stora Zoo series designed by Lisa Larson for Gustavsberg in the 1960s.
Lisa Larson joined Gustavsberg in 1954 at the young age of 23. The previous year, in 1953, when he was a student, a small cat with a spiky tail that he had presented in a competition caught the attention of Stig Lindberg, who later released it as the ``Lilla Zoo'' series. The "Little Zoo" series became a big hit at the time because of its novelty. Following the success of the game, Stora Zoo, which featured larger animals, was released in 1958.
This ceramic statue was produced in 1966, the latter half of the large zoo series. It is an interesting composition of a hippopotamus and three small birds that have landed on its back. The hippo looks like it's trying to look at your back, but the birds don't care about that at all and just sit close to each other as if having a meeting at the waterside. Because this work is easily damaged, it is rare that it remains complete. This is an outstanding ceramic statue among Lisa Larson's early works. The sole of the foot is engraved with "LISA L Gustavsberg".
■Details Manufacturer: Gustavsberg Designer: Lisa Larson Series name: Stora Zoo / Big zoo Title: Flodhäst med Fåglar / Hippo and little bird Era: 1966 Country of origin: Sweden Condition: ★★★★★ ( 5: Completed)
There is some residual transparent glaze on the back of the bird, but this is due to the manufacturing process. There are no cracks, chips, or penetrations, and the original seal remains. This is a complete item that is in very good condition and retains its appearance at the time of production.
■Size Height 11cm Width 17cm Thickness 7.5cm
Lisa Larson
Lisa Larson (1931-2024)
A world-renowned Swedish ceramicist, he was born in Härlunda, a village of about 500 people in the Älmhult district of Kronoberg county in the Småland region in southern Sweden.
As a child, she aspired to be a fashion designer, but after enrolling at the Gothenburg Academy of Art, she studied ceramics. One day, she was discovered by Stig Lindberg at a competition, and after a one-year probationary period, she officially joined Gustavsberg as a designer. Shortly thereafter, in 1955, she released the Lilla Zoo series, and in 1964, she came up with the Afrika series, famous for its lion statues.
Lisa Larson has not only worked for Gustavsberg, but has also provided designs for Höganäs, the major domestic retailer Åhléns, and the German ceramic manufacturer Rosenthal. After leaving Gustavsberg in 1979, she became a freelance artist, working on a voluntary basis with companies, rather than as an exclusive contractor, and continued to work freely in various fields. In 1979 and 1981, she held solo exhibitions at Seibu Department Store in Tokyo, and the 1981 exhibition was visited by a total of 70,000 people.