SQUARE DISH (BLACK) HF

This is an HF model square plate, designed in accordance with the basic principles of Kaj Franck's KILTA series.
Compared to the square plates in the KILTA series, the sides have a more vertical form.
It was likely designed as an hors d'oeuvre platter to be arranged in multiples on a wooden tray, with the arrangement in mind.
It was manufactured from 1958 to 1964.
*In good condition with no noticeable damage.

KAARINA AHO｜KAARINA AHO｜1925–1990｜FINLAND

Kaarina Aho was a Finnish female ceramist and designer. She was born in 1925 into a culturally prominent family; her grandfather was the national author Juhani Aho, and her grandmother was the artist Venny Soldan-Brofeldt.

After graduating from the Central School of Arts and Crafts, she joined Arabia's product design department in 1946 as Kaj Franck's first assistant, and designed numerous products as a designer from 1949 to 1962.

At the Milan Triennale in 1957, her BL model mocha cup won a gold medal.

When she first joined Arabia, she was dissatisfied with duties such as decorating mass-produced items and offered her resignation, but it was not accepted by the company. Instead, she was allowed access to almost all departments at Arabia, acquiring various skills.

While belonging to the product design department, she also created one-of-a-kind pieces on the potter's wheel and held her own exhibitions. After leaving Arabia in 1962, she established her own studio and continued to create as an artist.

ARABIA｜ARABIA｜1873–｜FINLAND

Arabia was founded in 1873 as a subsidiary of the Swedish ceramic 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, a tunnel kiln, one of the largest in the world at 112 meters long, was introduced, streamlining production and establishing a mass production system. This led to Arabia developing into one of Europe's leading ceramic factories.

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

A major characteristic of Arabia is that product development has been carried out with three fields—the art department, the applied arts department, and the product design department—interacting with each other.

Artists such as Toini Muona, Friedl Kjellberg, Michael Schilkin, Birger Kaipiainen, Rut Bryk, and Kyllikki Salmenhaara participated in the art department. Their works gained international recognition from the 1930s onwards, 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" (firefly hand) technique. Mass production began in 1950 and it became a long-selling product that continued until 1974, receiving high international acclaim as Arabia's representative artistic porcelain.

Against the backdrop of the functionalism movement that spread in Northern Europe in the 1930s, Ekholm announced 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, along with Kaarina Aho and Ulla Procopé, promoted the revitalization of product design. The Kilta series, announced in 1953, achieved great success as innovative modern design tableware characterized by simple geometric forms and versatility.

Arabia boasts numerous awards from the 1930s onwards, but particularly in the 1950s, at the Milan Triennale (1951, 1954, 1957), many products by designers, in addition to works by artists from the art department, received awards, establishing its global reputation.