This is a vintage square plate from the Prunus series by the famous Swedish potter Gustavsberg. While egg cups and coffee cups have been reproduced in the Prunus series, this square plate has never been reproduced and is only available as a vintage item.
The Prunus series is based on the LL model, which was designed in the mid-20th century, known as the mid-century period. This is the name of the original plain ceramic model, and each series, such as Prunus and Versa, was created by changing the type of transfer paper pressed onto the surface.
The series name Prunus means plum (called "sumomo" in Japanese) and features a circular design of a plum with blue fruit. The main difference between the vintage and reissue versions is that the backstamp of the vintage version features a large plum, while the backstamp of the reissue version features an anchor mark. Another distinctive feature is the vivid blue of the plum in the vintage version.
The back stamp is engraved with the VDN quality assurance mark, which was engraved on Swedish products between 1951 and 1973 to indicate that the product had passed durability tests, and is equivalent to the Japanese JIS mark.
■Detailed specifications
Manufacturer: Gustavsberg
Designer: Stig Lindberg
Series: Prunus
Era: 1962-1974
Country of origin: Sweden
Condition: ★★★★★ (5: Complete)
There is a stretch crack under the glaze at one of the inner corners of the surface. There are no cutlery marks on the surface and it is a deadstock item in perfect condition. This is a piece in top condition available on the market.
■Size
Length 18cm, width 21.5cm, height 3.3cm
■About the designer
Stig Lindberg (1916-1982)
Born in Umeå , a city in northern Sweden, he studied painting at Konstfack , an art university in Stockholm, before joining Gustavsberg in 1937. He was mentored by Wilhelm Kåge, who was in charge of the company's design department at the time, and 12 years later, in 1949 , he succeeded Kåge as the company's art director. From then on, Lindberg produced numerous works as a pioneer of Swedish modernism in the mid -20th century. Gustavsberg was at the height of its power during Lindberg's time, and his works from that time are still recognized as works from the golden age known as "mid-century" and are highly valued.
In addition to the mass-produced lines, Gustavsberg had an in-house studio called G -Studion , where young artists such as Lisa Larson worked hard to create one-of-a-kind art pieces. Lindberg also worked closely with the young artists, producing many works from the studio. Lindberg retired from the front line in 1980 and opened a workshop in Italy, where he retired, but died two years later.
