HIPPO

A hippopotamus figurine by Birgit Dyhr.
It is a matte piece with black glaze applied to coarse chamotte.
The bottom is signed "DYHR MADE IN FINLAND" in handwriting, suggesting it is an early piece.
*It is in good condition with no noticeable damage.
Due to the nature of the material, there are areas where chamotte particles have come off or the glaze is thin.

BIRGIT DYHR｜BIRGIT DYHR｜1908–1998｜FINLAND

Birgit Dyhr was a Finnish female ceramic artist. In her youth, she aspired to be a singer and studied music in Rome, but had to give up that path due to illness. Afterward, she worked at a craft store in Helsinki, and her ceramic works designed for Christmas window displays garnered attention, which led her to pursue ceramics in her late 30s.

From 1946, she studied sculpture at the evening division of the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now Aalto University) in Helsinki, and gained experience in the art department of Arabia during her student years. In 1950, she established her own studio in Helsinki and worked as an independent ceramic artist until 1998.

She produced many animal-motif works using coarse chamotte, which were mainly sold at department stores in Helsinki, such as Stockmann. The hippopotamus motif, in particular, is well-known for an order of approximately 700 pieces placed by the Georg Jensen shop in New York in the 1960s.

In 1993, a retrospective exhibition was held at the Design Museum in Helsinki.