It is a vintage square plate of the Prunus series of the famous Swedish kiln Gustavsberg. The Prunus series has reprinted egg cups and coffee cups, but this square plate has no reprints and is only available in vintage.
The Prunus series is based on the LL model designed in the middle of the 20th century, called the mid-century. This is the name of the prototype of plain pottery, and each series such as Prunus and Versa was created by changing the type of transfer paper that is pressed to the surface.
The series name Prunus means plum ("plum" in Japanese), and the plums with blue fruits are drawn in a circle. The big difference between vintage and reprints is that the vintage backstamp features a large plum. The backstamp of the reprinted version is an anchor mark. It also features the vivid blue color of vintage plums.
The back stamp is stamped with the VDN quality assurance mark. This mark is stamped on Swedish products between 1951 and 1973 to indicate that they have passed durability tests, and is equivalent to the Japanese JIS mark.
■ Detailed specifications
Manufacturer: Gustavsberg / Gustavsberg
Designer: Stig Lindberg
Series: Prunus
Years: 1962-1974
Country of Origin: Sweden
Condition: ★★★★☆ (4: mint condition)
There is a very fine paint loss on the surface and a thin thread can be seen when the light shines through, but it is a beautiful product with no cracks, chips or intrusions. You can see the traces of the struts at the time of manufacture on the upper part of the back. The brown part around the backstamp will be the burnt color when baked in the kiln.
■ size
Length 19cm Width 22cm Height 3.5cm
■ About the designer
Stig Lindberg (1916-1982)
Born in Umeå , a city in northern Sweden. After studying painting at Konstfack , the capital Stockholm, he joined Gustavsberg in 1937 . Twelve years later, in 1949 , he succeeded Wilhelm Koge as the company's art director. Since then, Lindberg has released numerous works as a standard-bearer of Swedish modernism in the middle of the 20th century. The Gustavsberg company in the era when Lindberg was active reached its heyday, and even now the works of that time are recognized as the work of the golden age called "mid-century" and have high value.
Gustavsberg had an in-house atelier called G-Studion ( G Studio) apart from the mass-produced line, where young artists such as Lisa Larson worked hard to create one-of-a-kind art pieces. Lindberg has also produced many atelier works by exercising his skills with young artists. Lindberg retired from the front line in 1980 and opened a workshop in Italy where he retired, but died two years later.
