It was while searching for examples of art by Hugo Kohler a few weeks ago that I happened across the strange and haunting work of another Hugo – Hugo Simberg.
Simberg (1873-1917) was a Finnish artist, his compositions often concerned with the symbolism around the death and the macabre; angels, devils and the grim reaper.
Simberg’s language arises from the realisation of the temporality and mortality of human existence. Simberg saw life as a cycle in which death only prepared for a new life. It is like a long hibernation, overwhelmed by the spring sun and awakening nature. When things that scare us are expressed, they become less scary and easier to understand. Finnish Spirit
As well as drawings and paintings, he carried out – alongside Magnus Enckell – the interior decoration of St John’s Church in Tampere (now Tampere Cathedral).
Claydon Auctioneers will be holding their 3-day antiques, collectables, paintings, prints and sporting & country pursuits auction early next month. It takes place in Buckingham on 6th & 7th October 2021 from 9am and 8th October 2021 from 10am. An astonishing 2,743 lots will be going under the hammer.
In addition to the hammer price, there will be a buyer’s premium charge of 19.5% + VAT, (23.4% inclusive of VAT). As is the case with all the auctions we feature in this series, bidding online is an option if you can’t be in the room for whatever reason. Claydon explain:
Online bidding has transformed traditional auctions, allowing bidders to participate from anywhere in the world from the palm of their hand. We are therefore very pleased to offer various options for online bidding. You can bid through our own website, as well as via a number of popular online bidding platforms which include The Saleroom, EasyLive Auction, Invaluable / AuctionZip and Live Auctioneers.
Don’t forget that bidding online brings further fees. EasyLive Auction is our preferred site as you can pay a flat fee of £3.00 when registering to bid on each sale, instead of a percentage of the grand total of your winning bids.
You wouldn’t know it from the 12 items that we’ve selected to share however, there are a lot of sporting & country pursuits-related items. For example, there’s a large quantity of ‘dead stock’ country (hunting, shooting, fishing) attire and vintage advertising ephemera such as pro-hunt wall posters. We’ve chosen to concentrate on the homewares side of things.
My favourite item has to be the vintage American range cooker (the very last image below). I can just imagine it in a mid-century modern decorated kitchen (with bright Formica worktops) alongside one of those over-sized fridge freezers.
Lot 68: An Italian model of a stylised horse
With a turquoise glaze, in Oriental manner, by Aldo Londi (1911-2003). Approx. 16¼” high x 16¼” long
Estimate: £80 – £120
Lot 127: Scandinavian plate
Decorated with animal illustrations, to include fox, pig, hedgehog, squirrel, rabbit, etc. Marked under Arabia, Made in Finland, 8-63. Approx. 7¾” diameter
Estimate: £10 – £20
Lot 278: Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars
A tangerine glass ‘ coffin ‘ vase 5¼” high together with a m aubergine glass ‘ finger ‘ vase 5½” high (2)
Estimate: £30 – £50
Lot 1194: A vintage letterpress tray / drawer
With a quantity of assorted carved wooden letter, number and symbol printing blocks, of varying fonts and sizes. Drawer approx. 14¼” x 32¾”
Estimate: £30 – £50
Lot 1341A: Four 20thC suitcases
Comprising 2 shoe cases by Victor Luggage, 1 vanity case, and 1 suitcase by Harwen Trunk of Hong Kong, the largest 28½” wide (4)
Estimate: £50 – £80
Lot 1571: An Art Deco Austrian / Viennese bead work bag / purse
With multicoloured geometric and striped patterns. Believed to have been designed by Hilda Wagner Ascher, Wiener Werkstatte. Approx. 8¼” long x 5½” wide
Estimate: £50 – £100
Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985) was a Finnish multidisciplinary designer; he created an abundance of objects in metal, glass, wood and ceramics. His output ranged from jewellery to furniture, barware to serveware and lighting to sculpture. His designs can even be found on the country’s money, having won the Bank of Finland’s banknote competition in 1947.
After serving in the Finnish Army during WWII, Tapio Wirkkala went to work for glassware firm, Iittala; a working relationship that would last the rest of his life. I especially like his organic, hand-blown Kantarelli (Finnish for ‘chanterelle mushroom’) vases. From the mid-1960s he designed glassware for Italian firm, Venini, based in Murano.
He created ceramics for companies including Rosenthal for whom he produced the Pollo vase and the Composition Secunda Grey, Variation and Eisblume series.
Because of his prolific output and lengthy career, his vintage designs are pretty easy to come by – albeit not always cheaply. Explore sites such as Etsy, Pamono and Vinterior.
Some of his ranges such as the Tapio drinking glasses for Iittala and Bolle bottle vases (shown at top) for Venini are still in production today.
Nanny Still (1926-2009) was a mid-century Finnish glass designer. She’s also known by her married name, Nanny Still-McKinney.
She designed for Riihimäki for approaching 3 decades; from her graduation from the University of Art and Design, Helsinki in 1947 until the 1970s. Some of her ranges include Polaris, Neptuna, Harlekiini (Harlequin), Fantasma, Majakka (Lighthouse) and Pajazzo.
In 1972, she was presented with the Pro Finlandia Medal for Meritorious Artists of the Order of the Lion of Finland.
In 1959, she and her husband moved to Belgium; whilst living there, she created designs for Rosenthal from 1977. Some of the Studio Linie series that she produced for them include Arabesk, Taiga and my favourite – Blütenregen – which roughly translates as ‘blossom shower’.
You can readily acquire examples of her glassware on eBay and Etsy and Tradera.
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