a polished pewter inkstand, Herman Bergman, Stockholm 1932.
The cover with a sculptured lion, signed Anna Petrus, glass liners for ink and sand, the cover with maker's mark Stockholm F8. 16,3 x 10,8 cm, height ca 12 cm.
The glass liners with small chips.
The model was shown at the Paris World's Fair in 1925 and in New York 1927. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York bought the model to the museum collection.
Erik Wettergren, "L'art Décoratif Moderne En Suède", see the model illustrated p 34.
Hedvig Hedqvist, Richard Jacboson, Jan von Gerber, "Modernt svenskt tenn", Atlantis 2004, see the model illustrated p 39.
Anna Petrus was a sculptor, industrial designer, and artist active in the early 20th century. She was born as Anna Petersson, the daughter of a professor of medicine and a countess, and adopted her surname while studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. She inherited a modest fortune at the age of 11 when her mother passed away, which allowed her to pursue her education in London and travel to Italy and France.
Anna Petrus's major international breakthrough came with the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris in 1925, where she showcased items in pewter and cast iron, in the Swedish Grace style. Pewter was considered an outdated material at the time, but its popularity grew as designers like Petrus recognised its advantages. In 1924, she began a collaboration with the then newly established Firma Svenskt Tenn. The lion became a recurring motif in Anna Petrus's work, both as sculptures and as stylised decorations.
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