25th Jan, 2022 10:00

Design - Two Day Sale

 
Lot 240
 
Lot 240 - A large Gustavsberg 'Argenta' ware vase
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240

A large Gustavsberg 'Argenta' ware vase

A large Gustavsberg 'Argenta' ware vase,
c.1940, designed by Wilhelm Kage, of globular form, with silver deposit fish decoration, impressed marks,
28.5cm high

Take advantage of our Sworders Delivery Service. Please see 'Shipping estimate' below.

Sold for £950


Condition Report

Discolouration to the silverwork - some rubbing to some areas. Generally good - no evidence of further damage or restoration. Additional detailed photos added. The white area in the photograph is not a chip, or crack but a small section where the silvering has rubbed off - possibly some water may previously have been pooled in that area causing a slight discolouration

 

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Auction: Design - Two Day Sale, 25th Jan, 2022

Viewing

VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT

We will be offering viewing by appointment only, to be held at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE..  Thirty minute time slots will be available from:

Fri 21 Jan, 9am - 5pm 

Sat 22 Jan, 10am - 2pm

Sun 23 Jan, 10am - 2pm 

Mon 24 Jan, 9am - 5pm 

Book Appointment

All lots are, however, extensively illustrated and carry detailed condition reports - see 'Condition report' at the foot of each lot description. 

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Buying a pre-loved, antique, or vintage item not only provides you with unique style and value for money but it also helps to reduce landfill, and the annual emissions of an antique or vintage piece can be as little as one sixteenth of those of its new equivalent!

Sworders is proud to be supporting the work of Antiques are Green - the movement that was founded in 2009 to promote “a greener future created from the past”. Read their fascinating carbon footprint study of a Georgian chest of drawers versus a modern equivalent here

 

Antiques are Green

 

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Images

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Wilhelm Kåge | Enter the Dragonfish

Kåge's childhood and youth were defined by his love of art, which saw him employed as a sign writer and advertisement designer. Throughout his training, he brushed shoulders with some of the most significant names in Modernism, both in Scandinavia and throughout Europe, with the likes of Carl Kylberg, Gösta Adrian Nilson (GAN) and Henri Matisse having significant impacts on his artistic development.

His modernist design eventually caught the eye of Axel Odelberg, head of the Gustavsberg porcelain factory, who employed Kåge to modernise their product range under the movement known as ‘Vackrare vardagsvara’ which loosely translate to ‘Enchanting everyday’. The movement brought aesthetically pleasing and affordable dinnerware to Swedish households. His initial designs were a tremendous success and saw him appointed artistic director - tasked to develop several successful patterns and designs.

Wilhelm Kage Gustavberg punch bowl

A Gustavberg twin-handled bowl of large size, dated 1928, by Wilhelm Kåge. Estimate £400-600

 

Kåge’s most significant artistic legacy, however, would be unveiled at the Stockholm Exhibition of 1930 which saw the advent of the ‘Argenta’ range. The pinnacle of Swedish Art Deco, or Swedish Grace as the period is more commonly known, these pieces featured a mottled green copper glaze, often with striking painted silver motifs of imposing sea creatures, or characters drawn from classical iconography. With their simplistic and clean forms, the series became a phenomenal success, with red and blue versions introduced later in production.

The conceptual origin of the Argenta ware, is believed to be synchronous with the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels as the figures depicted are of the typical soft elongated forms of the Swedish Grace movement, immortalised not only in the works of Kåge, but also seen in contemporaries such as Simon Gate and Carl Milles.

We are delighted to be offering one of these early forestudies in our October Design sale - a design that would eventually become one of the most ubiquitous forms in Swedish design history. Dating from 1928, this impressive punch bowl shows Kåge continuing Gustavsberg’s tradition of working with flint ware, infused with the forms and colours and shapes of the new age. This aesthetic would forever change the direction of Swedish studio ceramics and earn him worldwide renown as one of the leading figures of the era.

 



Our forthcoming auction of Design will take place on Tuesday 25 October 2022.

For further information, or to consign for a future auction, please contact -

design@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

 

Author: Otto Billström