Dish

Designed by Allan Ebeling

Sweden, 1930

This large ceramic charger by Allan Ebeling for Upsala-Ekeby, produced around 1930, is a striking example of Swedish art pottery from the Swedish Grace period. Molded in a square format with a profiled, indented rim, the platter has a strong architectural presence that frames the richly worked central motif.

At the centre, a sculpted elephant in low relief moves across a stylised landscape, its form outlined in dark slip and surrounded by a halo of turquoise and sea-green glaze. The background shifts between green, grey, beige and brown, creating depth and a subtle sense of movement in the surface. The stepped edges are decorated with graphic scrolls that echo classical and oriental influences, a hallmark of Ebeling’s eclectic visual language.

Created during his brief but important tenure at Upsala-Ekeby, this hand-glazed platter brings together sculpture, painting and design, and stands as a rare collector’s piece within Swedish studio ceramics of the early 20th century.

Signed UE 1970 AE 1930