The Anna Shell Bowl

An antique Swedish serving bowl in the Anna pattern, printed in teal transfer on cream earthenware and marked ANNA beneath the triangle mark of Aktiebolaget Göteborgs Porslinsfabrik, c.1904. It is round and shallow with a broad wave-cut rim, and two shell handles are modelled in one piece with the body, shaded with printed relief that follows the moulding exactly. It is undamaged and, unusually for Anna earthenware of this age, entirely free of crazing and staining, with only a scatter of tiny iron flecks that have been in the glaze since the firing.

Anna was the factory's own pattern and its great success, drawn in rococo revival cartouches with chrysanthemum bouquets falling in loose garlands. This round, handled form was the open serving dish of the service, passed round by its two shells.

Shallow enough that the whole pattern reads from directly above, which makes it a bowl to leave out — on a coffee table, an open shelf or a hall chest, for keys and post.

Condition and patina consistent with age.
Approx. overall 9.1" diameter incl. handles x 2" high
Approx. overall 23cm diameter incl. handles x 5cm high

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