Gorgeous faience (Earthenware) Karneval vase by Stig Lindberg for Gustavberg Sweden. The cylindrical shape is hand painted with a colorful motif of a woman cradling a rooster in her arms on one side and a bird in flight on the other. The rim is unglazed, giving an organic touch to the smooth design. The “Karneval” series was produced from 1958 to 1962 and included 32 different vases and platters, all with whimsical motifs in Stig Lindberg’s characteristic style.

The faience series became a huge success in Sweden and abroad. In 1966, Stig launched a new set of faience objects featuring rustic shapes, bluish white glazes, and linear patterns of different colors. They were molded or thrown, and then decorated by hand in the Gustavsberg Studio. They were often signed with the ”Studio hand”, model mark, pattern mark, color mark, and painter’s mark. This beautiful vase is decorated with semi-matte bluish white glaze and a colorful girl and rooster motif. In the Gustavsberg Studio, about 35–40 skilled painters decorated the faiences (earthenware pieces) by hand during the 25 years of production. They had some degree of creative freedom choosing colors and patterns. The decorators marked the pieces differently. The crescent moon mark on the bottom of this vase is for artist Astrid Wiberg.

Stig Lindberg (1916-1982) is one of the most renowned representatives of the illustrious Swedish ceramic design of the 20th century. He is well-known for his constant creativity and exceptional eye for shapes, proportions and patterns. Lindberg worked for the Gustavsberg factory in 1937-1980. He is represented at the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design. Stig Lindberg’s faiences were designed in the 1940s–1960s during the golden era of Swedish pottery.