UNDER THE INFLUENCE

I am often asked about the similarities between some of the post war pottery designs, and it can be hard to unravel the influences. Two factories that produced ceramic items with a similar aesthetic were Gustavsberg (Sweden) and Poole Freeform (UK). The photograph shows from (l to r) a Stig Lindberg vase from Gustavsberg and two Poole Freeform vases designed by Alfred Read. Both are hand painted earthenware, both use organic flowing shapes drawn from nature, but the Stig Lindberg vase pre-dates the Poole by nearly 10 years. Scandinavian design was well ahead of the pack in the 1940s and it was in the mid 1950s that UK and USA began to catch up using shapes colours and glazes being produced by the leading Scandinavian factories. They work well together and I often display Poole and Stig side by side. I have collected Freeform pieces over the years but rarely come across a perfect pair like these table lamps designed by Alfred Read in 1955 and painted by Gwen Haskins. http://www.kirkmodern.com/Item%20Descripttions/Lighting/PAR-GH503.html