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 ceramic artist representing Sweden. Born in the village of Härlunda, in the Älmhult district of Kronoberg county in the Småland region of southern Sweden.
When she was young, she aspired to be a clothing designer, but after enrolling at Gothenburg University of the Arts, she studied ceramics. One day, he was discovered by Stig Lindberg at a competition, and after a one-year trial period, he officially joined Gustavsberg as a designer. Shortly after, in 1955, he announced the Lilla zoo series, and in 1964 he devised the Afrika series, famous for its lion statues.
In addition to Gustavsberg, Lisa Larsson has also provided designs for Höganäs, domestic retail giant Åhléns, and German pottery manufacturer Rosenthal. After leaving Gustavsberg in 1979, he was active in various fields while continuing his creative activities freely, taking the position of a freelance artist under a voluntary contract with a company rather than an exclusive contract. In 1979 and 1981, he held solo exhibitions at the Seibu Department Store in Tokyo, and his solo exhibition in 1981 is said to have attracted 70,000 visitors.