Björn Trägårdh, a pewter tray, Firma Svenskt Tenn, Stockholm 1932.
Pewter, rectangular with engraved floral decoration, stamped with the angel mark, Stockholm F8. 19.2 x 29.7 cm.
Minor wear.
Engraved dedication inscription on the underside: "S.A.F 25/5 1933, Överste S. Rålambs Hederspris" (S.A.F 25/5 1933, Colonel S. Rålambs Honorary Award).
Anita du Rietz, "Skönhet till vardags - Estrid Ericson och Svenskt Tenn", Lorensvik förlag 2018, compare the model depicted on pp. 26-27.
Björn Trägårdh (1908-1998) was an artist, furniture designer, draftsman, and graphic artist. He worked as a designer at Svenskt Tenn from 1928 to 1936, where he designed furniture, pewter objects, and other art industry products. Trägårdh joined Svenskt Tenn when he was only 20 years old and was influenced by a functionalist design approach. He worked with a restrained color palette, using black, white, and gray as his main colors. Additionally, he and Estrid Ericson were exhibition organizers for several notable exhibitions. After Josef Frank joined Svenskt Tenn, Trägårdh moved to Paris in 1939, where he worked as a visual artist. During and after the war, he returned to the field of crafts and the fashion industry, creating buttons and brooches for fashion houses such as Dior, Bruyère, and Schiaparelli. Trägårdh's work can be found in the collections of the National Museum in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Institut Tessin in Paris, as well as art museums in Tours and Pau, France.
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