HIPPO

A hippo figurine by Birgit Dyhr.
Made from coarse chamotte, with a greenish-blue glaze based on grey.
The bottom is signed "DYHR" in handwriting and "MADE IN FINLAND" stamped.
*In good condition with no noticeable damage.
Due to the nature of the material, there are areas where chamotte grains 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. She then worked at a handicraft store in Helsinki, and when her ceramic designs for a Christmas window display attracted attention, she embarked on a career in 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 Arabia's art department during her student days. In 1950, she established her own studio in Helsinki and worked as an independent ceramic artist until 1998.

She produced many animal-themed works using coarse chamotte, which were primarily sold at department stores such as Stockmann in Helsinki. Her hippo motifs, in particular, are known for a 1960s order of approximately 700 pieces from the Georg Jensen shop in New York.

A retrospective exhibition was held at the Design Museum in Helsinki in 1993.