Mid-Century Modern Stoneware Vase attributed to Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, Sweden, 1950s

Swedish ceramic artist Carl-Harry Stålhane (1920- 1990) played a major role in popularizing Swedish pottery during the 20th century, working for more than three decades at Rörstrand, one of the oldest ceramics manufacturers in Europe. During his long tenure at Rörstrand, Stålhane was responsible for small-batch studio pieces, mass-produced tableware , and all manner of decorative accessories .

Born in 1920 in Mariestad, Sweden, Stålhane began working at Rörstrand in 1939 as a decorative painter, assisting Danish-Finnish ceramic artist, designer, and sculptor Gunnar Nylund (1904-1997). During this time, Stålhane decorated various ceramic pieces, most notably Nylund’s Flambé range (1939s), quickly establishing himself as a talented ceramic artist. Inspired by the desire for new products during the postwar economic boom, Stålhane went from being a talented decorator to an exceptional ceramic artist.

In 1943, Stålhane caught the eye of Swedish artist Isaac Grünewald (1889-1946), who was visiting Rörstrand. Grünewald was so impressed with Stålhane’s work that he took him on as a student, and from 1943 to 1946, Stålhane studied art at Grünewald's Art School in Stockholm. Subsequently from 1947 until 1948, he studied sculpture at Académie Colarossi in Paris.

During the 1950s, Stålhane’s work appeared in several solo exhibitions in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His Blanca Tableware range (c. 1955) won numerous international prizes and was in high-demand. In 1958, Stålhane succeeded Nylund as Artistic Director and Chief Designer at Rörstrand.

In 1960, Stålhane unveiled a new collection at Stockholm’s Galerie Blanche. Featuring dark stoneware pieces made from local clays, this collection represented a bold departure from the soft, restrained shapes of the 1950s. It has since been praised for its precient aesthetic that would influence the look of ceramics for more than a decade.

From 1963 until 1971, Stålhane taught ceramics at the Art Industrial School in Gothenburg.  For a short time, he also was the Design Director at the Swedish factory Upsala Ekeby, which in addition to porcelain, produced tile, brick, and glass.

Stålhane eventually left  Rörstrand in 1973 in order to establish his own ceramic company, Designhuset,  in Lidköping, where he further experimented with local clays and minerals. Stålhane continued to work until his death in 1990. Today, Designhuset is a school for ceramists and model-makers.

Over the course of his career, Stålhane created several public works for The Commerce Trust Company in Kansas City, Missouri, and for Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden. His work is represented at several international museums, including Stockholm’s Nationalmuseum and New York’s MoMA.

Rörstrand is the second oldest brand of ceramics in Europe and can be found in homes all across Sweden and Europe. Rörstrand’s long legacy includes some of Europe’s most iconic ceramics collections including Swedish Grace, Mon Amie, Ostindia, Filippa K, Carisma, and Eden were designed by renowned designers including Louise Adelborg, Marianne Westman , Signe Perssin-Melin and Monica Förster.

Founded in 1726 under the direction of the German porcelain expert Johann Wolff, the company borrows its name from the castle in Stockholm where the factory was built. Taking inspiration from China and other foreign countries, the first products were glazed in a bright cobalt blue. Rörstrand was the first to produce faience—a porous tin glazed earthenware. In the beginning, however, the company had difficulty turning a profit as more than 20 million Chinese porcelain objects were imported to Sweden in the 18th century.

Throughout the 1740s, Rörstrand continued to develop their brand identity and style, designing new patterns capturing Swedish life, which helped to establish the brand as a Swedish institution. Such patterns included Nordstjärna and the Rehnska, both of which were designed by King Gustav III’s architect Jean-Erik Rehn.

In the 1770s, French Rococo became the popular trend and offered inspiration for Rörstrand’s first complete dinner service, Sepia. By the 19th century Rörstrand was making English-style earthenware, bone china, porcelain, ironstone china, and majolica.

In 1900, Rörstrand gained international success at the World Exhibition in Paris with Alf Wallander’s tableware and urns designed in the Art Nouveau style. Textile artist and designer Louise Adelborg (1885-1971) joined Rörstrand in 1915. Her first success was Vase (1923) which was adorned by a wheat-ear design. The timesless design was later used at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930 for Sweden’s national tableware service, which was later became known as the Swedish Grace.

In 1976, Rörstrand celebrated 250 years with an anniversary exhibition and the new service Sylvia. That same year, the Rörstrand Museum opened in Lidköping, which contains a collection of 15,000 objects from Rörstrand's rich history. In 1991, Rörstrand’s Karin Björqvist designed an official table service for banquet held for the 90th anniversary of the Nobel Prize.

In 1990 the company was acquired by the Finnish Hackman Group, and was subsequently purchased by Fiskars Sweden in 2007, who own and operate the company today. 

Over the past 250 years, many talented ceramist and painters worked for Rörstrand including, Hertha Bengtson who created much-loved classics such as Blå Eld and Koka Blå; Marianne Westman, also known as 'the Porcelain mother', who designed bestsellers such as Mon Amie, Picknick and My Garden; and Olle Alberius; Inger Persson; Carl-Harry Stålhane, Gunnar Nylund , and Isaac Grünewald, among others.

* Images courtesy of Rörstrand