Anna Petrus
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& Estrid Ericson, a pewter bowl with handles, Svenskt Tenn, Stockholm 1927.
Handles in the shape of snake heads, each side of the bowl decorated with a female face in relief, maker's mark, Stockholm A8, height 11 cm, length including handles 25,5 cm.
Interior with stains, wear.
Provenance
Engraved inscription underneath the base: 'ZUM 12 OKT 1931 VON CLAIRE U. RICHARD'.
Literature
Marie Rehnberg, "Anna Petrus", Signum 2009, see the model ill. p 102.
Designer
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 Pewter was considered an outdated material at the time, but its popularity grew as designers like Petrus recognised its advantages.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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