This glass statue of a woman from the Old Testament was designed by Lisa Larson in the 1970s. The story of "Susanna's Bath," included in the Apocrypha of the Old Testament, tells the story of a beautiful woman, Susanna, being tempted by two old men.
The story goes like this: Susanna is a wealthy and devout Jewish woman who is seen bathing in the garden of her house one day by two malicious old men. They try to seduce her, but when she refuses, they falsely accuse her of having committed adultery with a young man. Susanna is about to be executed, but a young man named Daniel appears and proves her innocence, exposing the old men's false testimony. In the end, Susanna is saved and the unjust old men are punished.
The story explores themes of justice, honesty, and courage in the face of false accusations, motifs that are also depicted in many works of art. It is relatively rare for Lisa Larson to draw on the Bible as a motif, making this work a spinoff of her oeuvre.
After leaving her former company, Gustavsberg, in 1980, Lisa Larson became a freelance designer, receiving requests from companies all over Europe. This is an objet d'art that she created during her freelance years at the request of Royal Krona, a Swedish glass manufacturer.
This masterpiece is made of crystal glass and is highly transparent, and when viewed from various angles, the expression changes slightly. It is also a very heavy piece, weighing about 3kg, making it the largest glass piece by Lisa Larson. It can stand on its own, but since it does not have the original wooden base, we recommend displaying it on a book stand or similar.
■DetailsManufacturer: Royal KronaDesigner: Lisa LarsonYear: 1980sCountry of Origin: SwedenCondition: There is a thin crack near the bottom corner. It does not detract from the beauty of the piece, but please note that it is not a perfect item. The rest of the piece is in excellent condition, retaining the appearance from the time of manufacture.
■Size
Maximum width 29cm , length 22cm , thickness 3cm
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.