Author Description

This catalogue published by the Design Museum in Helsinki gives the history of the Finnish company famed for the quality and design of many everyday and art ceramics. Arabia was founded as Finland was industrializing in the 1870s. Its ability to maintain its standards over 135 years, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, when it was independent, and after the turmoil of war has enabled it to play an important part in the international fame of Finnish design. Chapter one gives an overview of the Arabia factory’s achievements over the years; chapter two taps unpublished archival materials to give a sense of the working methods, techniques, and models of the company’s designers; chapter three sketches the evolution of design in table services from the Asian stylization of the 1870s to the innovative works of the mid twentieth century; chapter four follows the design history through the second half of the twentieth century when modernism prevailed. Subsequent chapters cover specific themes: renowned designers such as Kaj Franck and the origins and parallels of their best designs; reforms and new methods; the art department and the artists. Factory marks, bibliography, and index enhance the book’s usefulness as a source on Finnish design, and new photography of Arabia pieces in the Design Museum ensure the accuracy and beauty of the illustrations. -- Summary written by John W. Emerich, Bronze Horseman Literary Agency.