The Gustavsberg porcelain factory was, for many decades, the largest ceramics maker in Sweden and home to some of the most innovative and ingenious makers of the past century.

The company, founded in 1825, mass-produced a wide range of products: first decorative household items and tableware in the English style and later bathroom fixtures, including the first pressed-steel bathtubs that would oust heavy cast iron. But of first interest to collectors are the remarkable decorative works created in the Gustavsberg art pottery studio, in particular those by master ceramists Wilhelm Kåge, Berndt Friberg and Stig Lindberg.

Gustavsberg began producing individually crafted, highly decorated and richly glazed pieces in the 1860s. It became a bastion of creativity and precise artistry that turned out a remarkable range of works whose style still resonates with lovers of Scandinavian design.

Designer, ceramist, illustrator, and painter Stig Lindberg (1916-1982) was one of Sweden’s most prominent creators from the late-1930s through the 1970s, a time often considered to be the “golden age” of Scandinavian design.

He graduated from Stockholm’s University College of Art, Crafts & Design (now known as Konstfack) in 1937. Shortly after, he joined Gustavsberg ceramics manufactory, where he became creative director in 1949. During the 1950s and ‘60s, Lindberg was highly prolific for Gustavsberg until 1980, and many of his tableware services, vases, bowls, and other decorative objects were among the company’s most popular.

Lindberg was interested in various design fields, including industrial design, textile design, painting, and glassblowing. With an approach imbued with humor and originality, Lindberg is considered one of Sweden’s most important designers from the postwar era. He was the recipient of numerous awards in his lifetime, such as Triennale de Milano Grand Prix in 1951 and 1954. His collections can be found in museums worldwide, including the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg.