This is a coffee cup and saucer from Valencia, Arabia's signature hand-painted tableware. Valencia comes in three sizes: demitasse, coffee, and teacups, and this is a medium-sized coffee cup.
The series name Valencia is the name of a port city in southeastern Spain, and the deep cobalt blue represents the dull Mediterranean sea and the strong sunlight. Valencia was designed by Ulla Procoppe in 1961 and has become an enduring masterpiece with the most antique fans among ARABIA products. Procoppe is a legendary designer who also designed the long-running Ruska and the rare Flora.
She died of illness at the young age of 47 in 1968, but she recuperated in the Canary Islands in Spain, and it is said that Procoppe loved the Spanish seaside throughout his life. After her death, Valencia, like other series, was produced for a long time in Finland until 2002, and was manufactured in Finland for more than 40 years. Since then, it has not been reproduced, and the only ones available today are those on the vintage market.
This cup and saucer are hand-signed on the back, so they were made between 1961, when production began, and the 1970s. Valencia production was temporarily halted in the 1980s, but after it was revived, it was stamped with ARABIA. In other words, the Valencia with the hand-signed signature is the oldest vintage item. UP is Ulla Procoppe's initial signature, and the painter's initials are signed, separated by a slash.
■ Detailed specifications
Manufacturer: ARABIA Designer: Ulla Procope Series: Valencia Era: 1961-1970s Country of origin: Finland Condition: ★★★★☆ (4.5: Very good condition)
When you hold the cup and saucer up to the light, you can see very slight cutlery marks, but they are in near-deadstock condition. The browning on the base of the cup is not dirt, but the clay underneath showing through. Areas that are difficult to reach with fire are thinly glazed, resulting in this appearance.
■Size
Cup width 10cm (including handle), height 6cm, saucer diameter 12.8cm
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 .
ARABIA - 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.