This is the Fractus series, a masterpiece from the 1970s by ARABIA, a leading tableware manufacturer in Finland. Fractus means "fruit" in Latin, and the surface features a hand-painted image of a pomegranate cut in half. Each hand-painted fruit design is different, and each has a different expression. Fractus comes in two color variations, blue and brown. This is the brown version. The vessel is decorated with a combination of deep brown and black, and the thickly applied glaze gives it depth. Although it is dark brown, the transparent glaze shines when held up to light.
Gunval Olin Granqvist, the pattern designer who designed the pomegranate fruit pattern, was in charge of designing mass-produced products at ARABIA, and also had his own atelier as an in-house workshop, where he collaborated with painters to create handmade pieces. The GOG pieces produced in the atelier have a distinctive presence among ARABIA's pottery.
The design was done by Ulla Procoppe, known for her masterpieces Valencia and Flora. The form is based on the Ruska series produced in 1960. It is called the S model , and many of ARABIA's tableware series follow the Ruska form, but various designers have been creating hits for decades with surface decorations. Fractus is a collaboration between two legendary designers, Procoppe and GOG, who represent ARABIA. Procoppe often worked with Esteri Tomura, so his collaboration with GOG is rare.
■ Detailed specifications
Manufacturer: ARABIA Form design: Ulla Procope Pattern design: Gunvor Olin Gronqvist Year: 1971-1975 Country of origin: Finland Condition: ★★★★☆ (4.5: Very good condition)
When held up to the light, the surface of the plate can show very slight marks from cutlery or stacking, but this item is in excellent condition with no cracks, chips or crazing.
■Size
Diameter 20cm Height 2cm
Ulla Procope
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 .
Gunvor Olin Gronqvist
Gunvar Olin Grangvist ( Gunvor Olin Gronqvist, 1928-2005)
Born in Helsinki. Joined ARABIA in 1951 and was in charge of design for a long time until 1993 . Her representative designs include "Tea for Two," which is inspired by autumn flowers, the "Kosmos" series, which features abstract maroon vertical lines, "Fructus," which depicts an apple cut in half, and the sauna mug series. And even now there are many enthusiasts. Apart from the mass production line, he is in charge of the art department called Ateljer GOG , and also supervises the production of hand-painted pottery called GOG pieces, each of which has its own unique characteristics. The use of paint colors is unique, and you can see the shading color sense that is unique to Scandinavian vintage tableware. For more information, see the blog article ``Nordic Tableware and In Praise of Shadows.''