ONLINE SHOP RENEWAL OPEN
Free shippingFree shipping on orders over ¥16,500 (tax included)
Item No. ：MRLB041
Designer：Marita Lybeck
Maker：Kera
Size ：H:55mm φ:80:mm W:119:mm
The catalyst for Marita Lybeck to pursue a career as a ceramist was the red clay pottery she saw and was captivated by at the KERA factory located near her home.
This is a rimmed plate from the 'KOTO' series, which she released immediately after becoming art director at KERA in 1957, the place that served as her starting point as a ceramist and designer.
It features a simple design that highlights the texture of the red clay, with black decoration applied only to the rim.
A clear glaze is applied over the entire piece.
Due to being handmade, there are individual differences in the color of the red clay, the glaze, and the size.
KERA closed in 1959, but by the summer of 1958, the factory was no longer operational, meaning production was for a very short period.
It is extremely rare.
*There are chips in the black glaze on the rim, but it is in good condition with no noticeable damage. There is one dent on the inner edge of the rim from the time of manufacture.
Marita Lybeck was a Finnish female designer and ceramist.
Her brother was Nils-Gustav Hahl, a prominent art historian and critic, and one of the founding members of ARTEK.
Through her brother, she interacted with key figures of the Modernism movement at the time, and at the request of Aino Aalto, designed ceramics and textiles for ARTEK.
She worked on fabrics for Alvar Aalto's furniture exhibited at the 1937 Paris World's Fair and some of the tableware for the SAVOY restaurant.
In 1947, she established her own studio, EMMEL. Using local red clay, she presented modern and innovative tableware based on design principles such as simple forms with minimal decoration, and the ability for free combination and stacking, all handmade with traces of the craftsman's hand.
In 1951, she held a successful solo exhibition at ARTEK titled "Form och funktion i rödlera (Form and Function in Red Clay)." However, fierce price competition with industrially mass-produced tableware sharing similar design principles, such as Kaj Franck's KILTA series, led to its closure in 1957.
From 1957, she served as art director for the local pottery manufacturer KERA, which had produced ARTEK's ceramics before the establishment of EMMEL, remaining until 1958.
Afterwards, she worked as a manager in the art and design department of the Stockmann department store in Helsinki.
She received a silver medal at the Milan Triennale in 1954.
ELEPHANT offers gift wrapping using our original "HOW TO WRAP_" wrapping paper. Please use this service for gifts to friends, acquaintances, and family.
Click here for gift wrapping
For more details on shipping, please refer to this page.
These are vintage/used items. When procuring products, we take the utmost care to select only items in excellent condition. While we note any particularly noticeable damage or condition issues such as scratches and stains, we do not list every small scratch resulting from age-related changes or normal wear and tear. These products also date from a time when manufacturing quality standards were not as high as they are today. If you have any concerns, please inquire before placing your order. If there is no significant difference in condition between items of the same product, only one product image will be displayed. Please note that product images may vary in color from the actual product depending on your monitor settings.
