Rörstrand

Designer	Marrianne Westman
Maker	Rörstrand
Marks	Stamped in black ink “Rörstrand Sweden Ugnsfast 12”
Material	Porcelain
Description	Large dished and handled pan  with trumpet handle angled upwards from fixing to exterior of bowl, closed end with pressure hole to underside of handle.  Hand painted leaf design to interior side of bowl.  Ribbed rings to base.  Clear gloss glaze to entire body
Condition	Very good.  No chips cracks or crazing.
Number	“12” stamped to base
Production Date	1960s
Width at rim	170mm
Width at Base	100m
Depth	40mm
Length (with handle)	215mm
Weight	350gm
Volume	575ml
Acquisition	Waverley Antique Market Oct 2012.
Rameking Reference Number	ROR 001

This ramekin was designed in 1954 by Marrianne Westman for Rorstrand, Sweden.  The pattern is from the extensive, popular and collectable “Picknick” range.  She was employed straight from college as a designer in 1950 and stayed until 1971.  The pattern was produced well into the 1960s.  The design is hand painted porcelain and is well made with no cracks or crazing.

“Rörstrand” was begun by Johann Wolff at Stora Rorstrand in Stockholm in 1726 to manufacture faience, a type of porous tin-glazed earthenware.  He signed an Association Contract as industry was encouraged to rebuild the country following the reign of Charles XII and eighteen years of expensive warfare.  The area was called "Rörstrand" because the clear lake shore was overgrown with reeds.  John had migrated from Denmark after getting the boot from a company he had founded in 1722.   

Wolff’s involvement ceased in 1729 and he was replaced by a local; Anders Ferdinand who had come over from Denmark with Johann.  I get the impression that Johann may not have been the best at both pottery and interpersonal relations.  Later, in 1790 Rorstrand began making flintware, and in 1881 began making feldspar china.   Flintware is a fine type of earthenware using mostly finely ground flint mixed with clay.  It actually sits somewhere between earthenware and poprcelain.  Rorstrand specializes in the manufacture of fine, genuine feldspar porcelain.  Mariebergs Porslinfabrik was acquired in 1782 then Rorstrand set up the Arabia factory in Finland to sell into the Russian market.

In 1926 the company moved from Stockholm to Gothenburg and again from Gothenburg to larger premises at Lidköping in 1936. In 1983 Rörstrand was bought by Arabia and in 1987 they merged with Gustavsbergs Porslinfabrik.  In 1990 Rorstrand were taken over by the Finnish Hackman Group.  Between 1960 and1990 Rörstrand had several owners, including Uppsala-Ekeby, Finnish Wärtsilä and Hackman and Gustavsberg .

Rörstrand is now part of Iittala, which has moved production to Sri Lanka and Hungary.   Iittala is a design company from Finland that specializes in housewares.  On 30 December 2005 the factory in Lidköping closed, ending almost 280 years of local manufacture. The former porcelain factory is now the Rörstrand Centre containing a museum, restaurant, art gallery and outlet store.  The museum contains one of the best collections of porcelain in Europe.