Liisa Hallamaa Candle Holder Duo

A pair of stoneware candleholders by Liisa Hallamaa, handmade at Arabia, Finland, circa 1960.

These charming ceramic objects demonstrate Hallamaa's ability to bring an experimental quality to even the simplest functional form. Each unusual candleholder rises from a hooped foot into a narrow waist, before expanding into a rounded, bowl-shaped top.

The restrained chocolate-brown exteriors provide a striking contrast to the intense colour applied to each bowl. Here, richly mottled glazes move between cobalt blue and turquoise, pooling and bubbling across the surface. Inevitable variations in the hand-applied glazes give each candleholder its own character, while their identical forms make them effective as a matching pair.

Please note that one of the candleholders has sustained damage to the foot. This has been reflected in the price; the pair are offered at the price of a single candleholder.