Bowl

Many works with similar designs were exhibited at the 1960 Milan Triennale.
It is a work that incorporates a unique design with a disc-shaped lid on the vessel.
It is estimated to be a work from around 1960.
*In good condition with no noticeable damage.

FRANCESCA MASCITTI-LINDH｜1931–｜FINLAND

Francesca Mascitti-Lindh was born in 1931 to an Italian father and a Finnish mother. After studying for two years at an art school in Rome from 1946, she moved to Finland.

Soon after, she apprenticed at Arabia under Olga Osol, Michael Schilkin, and Kaj Franck, and studied ceramics at the School of Applied Arts from 1949 to 1953.

At this school, she met Richard Lindh, who would later become her husband, and after graduating in 1953, they established a small studio in Helsinki. They primarily produced practical pottery.

Her works exhibited at several exhibitions caught the eye of the president of the Wärtsilä Group (Arabia's parent company), and she began working in Arabia's art department in 1955, where she remained for 34 years until 1989.

Even after retiring from Arabia, she continued to create works in her own studio, and in 2021, at the age of 90, she installed a new pottery kiln, actively continuing her creative work.

With roots in two design cultures, Italy and Finland, she has left behind numerous original works utilizing various techniques and materials. Most of her works are art pieces, but as her only product, she designed tableware for Ginori in Italy.

ARABIA｜1873 –｜FINLAND

Arabia was established in 1873 as a subsidiary of the Swedish ceramics manufacturer Rörstrand in the Arabia district on the outskirts of Helsinki, and began operations the following year in 1874. In 1916, it separated from Rörstrand's capital and became an independent Finnish company.

In 1929, the world's largest tunnel kiln at the time, measuring 112 meters in length, was introduced, establishing production efficiency and a mass production system. This allowed Arabia to develop into one of Europe's leading ceramic factories.

In 1932, Kurt Ekholm was appointed art director, and organized artistic activities at Arabia into an art department. He created a working environment for artists and established a system to develop products and art pieces in parallel.

A major characteristic of Arabia is that its three departments—Art Department, Applied Arts Department, and Product Design Department— collaborated in product development.

The Art Department included Toini Muona, Friedl Kjellberg, Michael Schilkin, Birger Kaipiainen, Rut Bryk, and Kyllikki Salmenhaara. Their works gained international recognition from the 1930s, contributing to Arabia's cultural aspect and playing an important role in the development of Finnish ceramics.

In the 1940s, Friedl Kjellberg developed Rice Porcelain using the hotarude technique. Mass production began in 1950 and it became a long-selling product until 1974, receiving high international acclaim as Arabia's representative artistic porcelain.

Against the backdrop of functionalism spreading in the Nordic countries in the 1930s, Ekholm launched the AR series (SINIVALKO) tableware in 1935, setting the direction for later Nordic modern design.

In 1945, Kaj Franck joined the company as a designer, and together with Kaarina Aho and Ulla Procopé, he pushed for innovation in product design. The Kilta series, released in 1953, achieved great success as innovative modern design tableware characterized by its simple geometric forms and versatility.

Arabia has received numerous awards since the 1930s, especially at the Milan Triennales in the 1950s (1951, 1954, 1957), where many products by designers, in addition to works by artists from the art department, received awards, establishing its global reputation.