Stig Lindberg Gustavsberg Domino Series Black and White Stoneware Cone Vase, 1950s Swedish Modern

Details

Description

Stig Lindberg Gustavsberg Domino Series Black and White Stoneware Cone Vase, 1950s Swedish Modern
Sweden, Designed 1954, Produced 1955–1969

Pure … Read more Stig Lindberg Gustavsberg Domino Series Black and White Stoneware Cone Vase, 1950s Swedish Modern
Sweden, Designed 1954, Produced 1955–1969

Pure graphic energy in a nine-inch cone. This stoneware vase was designed by Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg in 1954 as part of his Domino series, the group of thirteen black and white vases and dishes that stole the show at the H55 exhibition in Helsingborg the following year and became one of the signature lines of Swedish Modern design. Fine raised white lines spiral diagonally around the tapering body against a glossy black glaze, so that the pattern seems to move as you walk past it.

It is the kind of object that does a lot of work for its size. Set it alone on a mantel, a floating shelf, or a bedside table and it reads as a small sculpture; group it with other black, white, and natural-wood pieces and it becomes the graphic anchor of the arrangement. It suits a mid-century or Scandinavian room instinctively, but the strict geometry also sharpens a more traditional setting, where a single modern piece among older things brings the whole shelf into focus. The narrow neck takes a single stem or a few grasses if you want it in use, though it needs nothing at all.

The base is impressed with the Gustavsberg anchor mark, DOMINO, STIG L, SWEDEN, and the numeral 5.

Dimensions
Height: 9¼ inches (23.5 cm)
Diameter at base: 3½ inches (8.9 cm)

Provenance
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Condition
[Condition to be confirmed in hand]

Historical Context
Stig Lindberg (1916–1982) joined Gustavsberg in 1937 under Wilhelm Kåge and succeeded him as art director in 1949, going on to design everything from studio ceramics and tableware to textiles, glass, and children’s books. The Domino series, launched at H55 in 1955 and produced until 1969, remains one of the most collected of his stoneware lines, and his work is held by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.

(Ref: NY9429/imp) See less