Swedish artist-designer Gunnar Nylund — who worked at iconic porcelain manufacturer Rörstrand for decades — was never satisfied with the status quo. He played with organic shapes, rich colors and dazzling patterns to create some of the most exquisite ceramic and porcelain sculptures, vessels and other furnishings and decor of the 20th century.
Born in Paris to artists Fernanda Jacobsen-Nylund and Felix Nylund, Gunnar lived in Finland as a child but when the Finnish Civil War broke out in 1918, he moved with his mother to her native Denmark. He initially pursued architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts but cut his schooling short when he accepted a position at the Bing & Grøndahl porcelain factory, where he worked for artist Paul Gauguin’s son, Jean, for several years, creating a range of stoneware pieces.
Dissatisfied with the factory's traditional approach to art, Nylund moved on from Bing & Grøndahl and sought to create works in a modernist style. In 1929, Nylund and chemist Nathalie Krebs opened their own ceramics workshop called Saxbo in Saxbo, Denmark. The company’s works garnered praise at a Svenskt Tenn exhibition, and the prestigious Swedish manufacturer Rörstrand offered Nylund a position as creative director.
While he later worked for Nymolle Ceramic Factory in Denmark for a short period, Nylund produced his most famous works while employed by Rörstrand. Fresh ideas and methods intrigued Nylund and he was always eager to try new techniques at the manufacturer. He worked in the Art Deco style, creating warm-toned matte-glazed stoneware sculptures and ceramic tableware that are devoid of lavish ornamentation. Later, he crafted numerous figurines and highly stylized animal sculptures. Nylund’s work can be found at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Designmuseum Denmark and elsewhere.
Find vintage Gunnar Nylund serveware, sculptures and vessels on 1stDibs.
Large table lamp by GUNNAR NYLUND
Located in Long Island City, NY
Large stoneware vase now a table lamp designed by GUNNAR NYLUND for Rostrand, Sweden , circa 1950th. " Rubus" series. medium brown textured glaze with little touch of blue. Marked by...
Stoneware
Large stoneware table lamp by GUNNAR NYLUND for Rostrand
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Long Island City, NY
Large stoneware vase now a table lamp designed by GUNNAR NYLUND for Rostrand, Sweden , circa 1950th. " Rubus" series. medium brown textured glaze with little touch of blue. Marked by...
Stoneware
Table Lamp by Gunnar Nylund
By Gunnar Nylund
Located in Long Island City, NY
A table lamp by Gunnar Nylund, Rörstrand, stoneware, polychrome glaze, signed GN, the height of the lamp base about 28cm ( 11") diameter of 14.5 cm(6"). Existing electrical wiring, ...
Large Table Lamp by Just Andersen
By Just Andersen
Located in Long Island City, NY
A large table lamp by Just Andersen, Denmark, circa 1930. Patinated disco metal, marked: Just Denmark 2239. Existing European wiring, rewiring available u...
Metal
Large Table Lamp by Bitossi
By Bitossi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Large table lamp by Bitossi ceramic, Italy , Circa 1960th. Signed. Newly rewired. Ceramic base dimensions 24" height x 8" diameter. Total height 35".
Ceramic
Large Table Lamp by Berndt Friberg
By Berndt Friberg
Located in Long Island City, NY
Large table lamp by Berndt Friberg. Gustavberg Studio, Sweden, circa 1960s. Base height exclude socket - 14". Signed. Existing European wiring, rewiring available upon request.
Table Lamp by Carl Harry Stalhane for Rörstrand Studio
By Rörstrand
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Monumental Rorstrand stoneware table lamp by Swedish master ceramist Carl Harry Stalhane. The white stoneware body exhibits an off-white matte glaze modeled with a repeating underglaze design being a vertical series of slightly impressed elongated ovals each connected by a single line repeated to encompass the entire body. The body set on a custom, solid brass ring to enhance stability. Sold with an installed solid brass, custom, our lamp fitting consisting of, rod hole cover base cap, riser, double socket cluster each with a barrel chain...
Stoneware
Table Lamp by Ugo Zaccagnini
By Ugo Zaccagnini
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A beautifully proportioned and sculptural table lamp by Ugo Zaccagnini, featuring a soft robin’s egg blue crackled glaze with subtle tonal variation and surface depth. The gentle craquelure enhances the organic curves of the ceramic body, lending the lamp a tactile quality and a sense of quiet movement. The original rosewood cap and base provide a rich material contrast—dark, refined, and architectural against the delicate surface of the glaze. This interplay of texture and tone reflects the studio’s deep sensitivity to form and finish. Zaccagnini, one of Italy’s most respected 20th-century ceramicists, worked at the intersection of tradition and modernity. Known for his sculptural forms and refined glazes, his work was widely exhibited and retailed through top galleries and luxury decorators in postwar Europe and the United States. This lamp’s silhouette is bold yet fluid—equally at home in a richly layered interior or a clean-lined, organic modernist space. The cool, pale blue makes it a versatile design element: it can act as a subtle pop of color in a neutral room, or as a cool, calming contrast against deeper hues and dark woods. Designers such as Gio Ponti, Billy Baldwin, or Kalef Alaton...
Brass
1970s Scandinavian Table Lamp Made in Danemark
Located in London, GB
1970s Rosewood Danish Table lamp in a mushroom shape Dimensions: Height with lampshade 55cm Height without lampshade 43cm
Fruitwood
Vintage Scandinavian RAAK Lighting Company Table Lamp
By Nanny Still
Located in Doraville, GA
A large aluminum and steel table lamp with three art glass rondels by Finnish designer Nanny Still. The lamp was manufactured by RAAK Lighting Company in the Netherlands, designed in...
Aluminum
Table Lamp by Unknown Designer Produced by Boréns in Sweden
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare table lamp by unknown designer. Produced by Boréns in Sweden.
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Scandinavian Large Table Lamp by Peter Linnemann-Schmidt
By Per Linnemann-Schmidt, Palshus
Located in Courbevoie, FR
Mid-Century Modern Scandinavian large table lamp by Peter Linnemann-Schmidt for Palhus. New electrical system brought up to EU standard. E27 bulb. Shade included.
Ceramic
