Tilgmans hand painted Ceramic Dish Sweden 1960

Stunning handmade item by Swedish Tilgmans Keramik. Fully glazed hanging wall decoration depicting 2 fishes and seaweed. Manufactured around 1960 by German/Swedish Paul Harald Tilgman in his workshop in a small town close to Gothenburg in Sweden.

Good condition.

Depth ; 5 cm - Width : 26 cm - Height : 22 cm.

 About Tilgmans Keramik: Paul Harald “Harry” Tilgmann was born in Dresden, Germany in 1904 and emigrated to Sweden during WWII where he started Tilgmans Keramik (= Ceramics) in 1948 in the small town of Utbynäs close to Gothenburg. Tilgman had 16 employees working for him and when he hired the Polish refugee Marian Zawadzki (1912-1978) as artistic director in 1953, Tilgman Keramik started experimenting with the distinct sgraffito technique. The sgraffito technique consists of carving fine lines into the background of a design through a light colored glaze down to a dark grey clay slip. This created a unique textured ground which has become a style associated with Tilgmans Keramik in particular. The decorative elements also appear to be outlined with a carved line and then hand painted with overglazes where birds, fish, flowers, butterflies and other animals were a common theme. This type of work was the most popular in midcentury Sweden alongside Tilgmans small animal figurines. In 1957, production is moved to a new factory in the same area with now 25 employees. In the mid-1960s, Tilgman had close to 80 people working for him and production change towards a darker, more rustic style and in 1971, Tilgman moved production to Londonderry, Ireland still with close collaboration with employees still working for him in Gothenburg. Harry Tillman died in Helsinki, Finland in 1974, and shortly after the factory closed down. Tilgmans Keramik remains some of the most popular and sought after artistic ceramic pieces in Scandinavia.