HÖGANÄSBOLAGET, an art nouveau vase, circa 1900.

Glazed earthenware with organic relief decor. Turner/former Signature M (Martin Svensson). Height 23 cm.

”Höganäs ceramics reached the pinnacle of their production under the guidance of Albin Hamberg in the years 1889–1914. Hamberg was a very skilled craftsman, artist and social reformer and at he factory he drove the process that led to the establishment of new ideas from the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements. He modelled objects that he signed but it was mainly by copying or adapting designs from international magazines and exhibitions that he managed to modernize the factory’s products.
Decorative Höganäs pieces from this time had seldom the signature of a particular designer as they were essentially replicating popular international or sometimes even Swedish items. However, they are interesting in that they provide concrete evidence of how the European styles of the time were taken up by Swedish factories.
Albin Hamberg was responsible for most of the ornamental and artistic ceramics items produced, but of course didn’t sign them since they were copied. However, the craftsmen put their initials on the base of many objects. This gave rise to an assumption that these craftsmen had designed the items, but this has been shown to be incorrect.” – from Magnus Palm and others, Excursions in Art nouveau, 2022. /MP.