Rörstrand
Founded in 1726 in a wing of Rörstrand Castle in Stockholm, Rörstrand was originally known as the Swedish Porcelain Works. By the mid 18th century, the firm produced simple household wares and a line of art pottery made to compete with imported faience. In the 1890s, the spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement arrived, inspiring Alf Wallander (pictured), a well-known Swedish painter, to switch from painting to decorative arts design. He made himself known to Robert Ahlström, the director of Rörstrand, and was offered a position as a designer.
In 1897 Wallander took on the role of artistic director (officially there was no such position at Rörstrand). Factory director Ahlström instructed him to lead only by example. Together, the two men helped restore craftsmanship to the industrial process. Artists were made part of the creation of the factory's porcelains from the first sketches to the final glazes.
Following Wallander's example, Rörstrand's artists adopted the features of Art Nouveau design that Wallander deemed appropriate for his Nordic nation. His ideas came from a wide range of sources. He had worked for a number of years as a painter in Paris. While there, he visited Sevres and attended several Parisian pottery exhibitions. He was well aware of the latest trends in French porcelain and stoneware. Wallander was also interested in exploring Japanese glaze techniques and was inspired by the work of Danish potter, Herman A. Kahler. Immediately prior to beginning work at Rörstrand, the Swede took a research trip to two of Copenhagen's porcelain factories.
By 1895, Wallander had assimilated a world of influences and added his own impeccable sense of design to the mix. The result was a body of stunningly tasteful porcelains with relief decoration painted under the glaze in muted colors. He excelled in the organic union of plant and animal reliefs with the underlying body of the vase or bowl. By carefully positioning petals, stems, wings, tails, and flowing water, he created the impression that simple baluster vases (and their floral contents) were in the loving embrace of the natural world.
The process of fashioning such objects began when half-finished pots, vases, and other forms were brought to the art studios. There each became a point of departure for the freehand sculptural modeling done by ceramic artists Nils Lundström, Algot Eirksson, Anna Boberg, Waldemar Lindström, Karl Lindström and others. Popular motifs included local flora and fauna, such as dogwood blossoms, sweet pea vines, fish, swans, and walruses, with a generous sprinkling of exotic mermaids and sea monsters. The decorative devices were realistically rendered with an unsurpassed delicacy of modeling and coloration. As many as three firings and applications of color might be necessary to complete a single piece.
Rörstrand exhibited at the important national and international expositions between 1891 and 1914. Its works were uniformly lauded for their restrained beauty. Although its market remained largely domestic, exports went to the U.S., the Nordic countries, Germany, and Russia. In the years following World War I, Rörstrand continued to produce household ceramics and art ware, but never again reached the high standard of originality set during the Wallander years.