Arabia (ARABIA) Valencia (Valencia) large size bowl

Valencia is one of the most iconic works of 20th century ARABIA. Launched in 1961, it remained in continuous production for half a century until 2002. Production ended when ARABIA relocated its manufacturing to Southeast Asia, meaning every Valencia piece was made in Finland. The series has never been reissued and is now available only on the vintage market.

The series is named after the port city of Valencia in southeastern Spain. Its deep cobalt blue expresses the dark sea of the Mediterranean and the intense Spanish sunlight. Designer Ulla Procope created Valencia in 1961, and it became the most sought-after series among ARABIA collectors — a timeless masterpiece. Procope also designed the long-running Ruska series and the rare Flora series.

Procope passed away in 1968 at the young age of 47 from illness. Her place of convalescence was the Canary Islands of Spain, reflecting her lifelong connection to the Spanish seaside. After her death, Valencia continued in production alongside her other series, manufactured in Finland for over 40 years until 2002.

Valencia is created using a hand-painting technique where skilled artisans apply the patterns one by one with a brush. This method was discontinued after ARABIA moved production outside Finland, making hand-painted pieces a hallmark of authentic Finnish-made ARABIA.

ARABIA is a ceramic manufacturer representing Finland in the 20th century. Originally, ARABIA was a factory established in Finland by Sweden's Rörstrand as a base for producing pottery for Russia. The company's name comes from the fact that it was established in the Arabian district of Helsinki, the capital.

From the 1950s to the 1980s, many world-famous designers such as Ulla Procoppe, Birger Kaipiainen, Laiya Uosikkinen, and Esteri Tomura created many works, known as the Golden Age of ARABIA. Works that had a great influence on modern modern design were created at the time, from simple Scandinavian modern designs to highly decorative and well-crafted pieces. ARABIA is known for its masterpieces such as paratissi, crocus, flora, and corari, which are both practical and decorative items unique to Scandinavian tableware that are useful for both interior and everyday use.

Check out our ARABIA collection here!

Ulla Procope (1921-1968)

Born in Helsinki. In 1948 , he graduated from the Faculty of Art and Design at Aalto University in Helsinki and joined Arabia Company. After that, he was in charge of design in the production department for 20 years, creating the Ruska series in 1960 and the Valencia series in 1961 . Ruska became the longest-running and most sold flagship product of Arabia's products, and the form of Ruska was called the S model , which became the prototype model for subsequent ARABIA tableware. Valencia is the last hand-painted ARABIA product. After suffering from cancer and retiring from active duty, Procope moved to Spain's Canary Islands, where he died at the age of 47 .

Click here for a list of Ulla Procope's works.