Andersson & Johanssons Ancient Mediterranean Stoneware Reliefs

– country: Sweden. – design: John Andersson. – manufacture: Höganäs Keramik. – year: 1950-1960s. – material: stoneware. – colours: beige, brown, turquoise. – finish: expressive textured glazing and surface detailing. – style: Mid-Century. – size: small/medium. – two holes for hanging. – quantity: A set of two reliefs depicting a woman and a man. – dimensions: diameter: 9, 5cm|height: 1cm. – condition: perfect vintage condition, marked. Founded in 1909 in the ceramic-rich region of Swedish Höganäs, Andersson & Johanssons Lergodsfabrik quietly shaped the material culture of 20th-century Scandinavia. Working with regional clays and a restrained design vocabulary, the studio transformed everyday ceramic forms into enduring expressions of modern life. Among the studio’s most significant voices was John Andersson (1900–1969), a ceramicist whose vision helped define the company’s artistic identity. Employed as a thrower in 1913, he became artistic director in 1924. Throughout the 1920s, he developed a body of art ceramics known for their distinctly personal character—pieces that balanced formal rigour with expressive glazing and surface detail. From the 1940s onward, Andersson focused increasingly on unique stoneware forms. His work in the 1950s embraced a freer aesthetic, while maintaining a deep respect for form. His most celebrated contribution came in 1955 with the creation of Old Höganäs, a high-fired earthenware series designed for the H55 Exhibition in Helsingborg. The collection, glazed in rich tones of brown, gold, blue, and green, referenced local ceramic heritage while advancing a refined modernist aesthetic. Many of the studio’s miniatures from this period designed by Andersson and thrown by Gunnar Borg remain among its most collectible works.