Hertha Bengtson Swooping Vase

This sculptural vase belongs to Hertha Bengtson’s imaginative series of stoneware art-objects produced at Höganäs around 1964. 

The eccentric object offers an unconventional reflection on the youthful, playful and exciting era of the 1960’s; the striking design captures the space-age stylings of the time with its distinctive silhouette & unusual applied decoration.
The swooping shape of this piece, in the spirit of the age, boldly defies tradition yet the object is balanced & grounded by its historic method of production; the vase is turned by hand on a potter’s wheel.

The silky blue glaze is both beautiful and refined, and features feathery variations in colour, with sprays of navy, lilac and grey.

The unique & highly playful character of this object is enhanced by the application of a peculiar space-age collar, crafted from extruded clay cylinders. These distinct cylinders, a hallmark of Bengtson’s collection, give the vase, and the entire series, a strange and somewhat otherworldly charm.