Vase

Designed by Carl Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand

Sweden, 1955

This unique Carl-Harry Stålhane vase for Rörstrand, dated 1955, is a finely judged example of Swedish mid-century stoneware. The form is quietly monumental: a gently ovoid body that rises to a narrow, slightly flared neck, giving the piece a serene, almost architectural presence.

The surface is covered in Stålhane’s characteristic harpälsglasyr, here realised in deep brown and black. The matte glaze breaks softly over the rounded shoulders, creating a subtle vertical movement that recalls traditional Asian stoneware, a key reference in Stålhane’s work of the 1950s. At the base the darker tone pools and gathers, grounding the form, while the neck is finished in an intense, almost inky black that frames the small opening.

Hand-thrown in stoneware and signed R-55 CH Stålhane SWEDEN with the incised mark AU 86, the vase belongs to the highly sought-after period when Stålhane had recently taken over as artistic director at Rörstrand and was refining his language of soft, classical shapes paired with restrained, sophisticated glazes.

Elegant yet understated, this Swedish ceramic vase captures the quiet refinement and technical mastery that have made Carl-Harry Stålhane one of the most admired figures in Scandinavian studio ceramics.

Unique, signed R-55 CH Stålhane SWEDEN with the incised mark AU 86.