Liisa Hallamaa Large Goblet Vase

A large chamotte vase designed & handmade by influential ceramist Liisa Hallamaa in the art studio of Arabia, Finland, circa 1960.

This goblet-like vessel features a richly textured matte glaze with dramatic pits and variations in colour. The experimental glaze conveys the beautifully organic rusticity associated with Hallamaa's renowned works. Her use of a coarse & pitted glaze with a textured chamotte clay ensures this intricate vessel feels entirely natural and Earth-like. The vase is stylistically Modernist, expressing a 1960's Brutalist aesthetic, yet has an undeniable historical characteristic reminiscent of an ancient pot unearthed from the ground.

Hallamaa's ceramics are highly individual in the field of Nordic studio pottery. Known for her thick & textured glazes, her ceramics also push the boundaries of expectation with dramatically proportioned & experimental silhouettes. This footed vessel consists of a large spherical 'bowl' on a gently flared foot. 

As a further elegant touch, the vase's interior has been glazed in cobalt blue; a signature of Arabia's formidable art department. 

Hallamaa began her career in Arabia's art department in 1950 at the age of 25. Here, she and ‘the [other] Arabia artists could work and create as they will. With the full resources of the factory at their disposal.’[1]

She remained at Arabia for 20 years producing unique experiments in studio ceramics which are highly regarded for their individual expression, exciting glazes, and unconventional forms.

[1] Ulf Hård af Segerstad, Scandinavian Design (London: Studio Books, 1961) 38.