Hertha Bengtson Large Cobalt Vase

This unusual vase belongs to Hertha Bengtson's imaginative series of stoneware art-objects produced at Höganäs around 1964. 

The large, vibrant & eccentric vase serves as an unconventional reflection of the youthful and exciting era of the 1960's; the striking design captures the space-age stylings of the time with its bright colour & unusual applied decoration.
The large cylindrical vase embodies a clean 'pop-art' aesthetic, yet this object has been turned on the potter's wheel, and retains a wonderful handmade quality.

The richly pigmented cobalt glaze is beautiful and bold. The matte glaze has subtle variations in colour across the piece with darker pools and droplets of navy blue.

The unique & playful character of this object is enhanced by the application of peculiar space-age lug handles, crafted from extruded clay cylinders. These distinct cylinders, a hallmark of Bengtson's collection, give the vase, and the entire series, a strange and somewhat otherworldly charm.