This is a vintage square plate from the Prunus series by Gustavsberg, a famous Swedish pottery manufacturer. The Prunus series has seen reproductions of egg cups and coffee cups, but 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 (in Japanese, "sumomo"), and the design features a circular depiction of a plum with blue fruit. The main difference between the vintage and reprint versions is that the backstamp of the vintage version features a large plum, while the backstamp of the reprint version features an anchor mark. The vintage version's plums are also characterized by their vivid blue color.
The backstamp has the quality assurance mark VDN, which was stamped on Swedish products between 1951 and 1973 and indicates that the product had passed durability tests. It is equivalent to the Japanese JIS mark.
■ Detailed specifications
Manufacturer: Gustavsberg
Designer: Stig Lindberg
Series: Prunus
Era: 1962-1974
Country of Origin: Sweden
Condition: ★★★★☆ (4.5: Very good condition)
There is very small paint loss in the plum painting on the inside bottom of the main body, but it is in excellent condition with no cracks, chips or crazing, and there are no cutlery marks, so it is a dead stock item that has never been used. The brown color seen on the raised part of the back is the support mark from manufacturing and the burn color.
■Size
Length and width 12.5cm Height 3.5cm
■About the designer
Stig Lindberg (1916-1982)
Born in Umeå , a city in northern Sweden, Lindberg studied painting at Konstfack , an art university in Stockholm, before joining Gustavsberg in 1937. He was mentored by Wilhelm Kåge, who headed 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 popularity during Lindberg's time, and his works from that time are still highly valued and recognized as works from the golden age known as "mid-century."
In addition to the mass production line, Gustavsberg had an atelier 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 to produce many atelier works. Lindberg retired from the front line in 1980 and opened a studio in Italy, where he had retired, but died two years later.
