Mari Simmulson (Scandinavian, 1911-2000), Salix Vase

For Upsala-Ekeby, 1953-1956, earthenware, model 4098 vase in Salix pattern, marked with company backstamp and model number to underside.

9 7/8 x 3 1/2 in.

Mari Simmulson was born to Estonian parents in St. Petersburg, Russia but returned to Estonia at the dawn of the Russian Revolution in 1917. Simmulson studied at the State Art School in Tallinn in the 1930s and went on to further develop her skills at the nearby Arabia porcelain factory in Helsinki. After marrying, Simmulson moved to Munich, Germany where she studied sculpture; however, she had to move once again when World War II broke out. Forced to leave behind her family and relatives with whom she would never be reunited, she fled to Sweden on a fishing boat.

At the end of WWII, she began working at Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory. There, she worked alongside the factory’s legendary leader, Wilhelm Kage. Simmulson left Gustavsberg in 1949, taking a position at Upsala-Ekeby. Together with Hjordis Oldfors and Ingrid Atterberg, she completed a trio of influential female designers who set the tone for the company's style in the 1950s. She would remain at the factory until 1972, designing a variety of tableware, vases, wall plates, and figurines that often opted for bold, colorful decoration.

Bio courtesy of Mother Sweden

Good estate condition.