Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory Värmdö, Sweden Jar with Cover 1899 Glazed porcelain Designed by Josef Ekberg 1877-1945 22-3/4 inches high, 13 inches in diameter Gift of the Decorative Arts Council and Daniel Morris and Denis Gallion, Historical Design Collection, New York 94.35a,b

As industrialization and urbanization became major factors of modern life, Swedish social reformers called on artists to support the cause of social equality by designing goods that would lend affordable beauty to life. Beauty was seen not as a luxury, but as a necessity that ennobled people and deepened their experience. Beautiful surroundings caused one to work better and to feel better. Although some artists worked toward this end, most Art Nouveau objects, such as this covered jar, were too expensive for many people. Improvements in glazes and design were more likely to be applied to decorative than to UTILITARIAN ceramics. Useful pottery, rarely a work of art, was for the most part plainer and less beautiful. The middle and lower classes generally bought inexpensive, serial imitations of what the wealthy favored. Most Art Nouveau pieces remained purely decorative--available only as expensive, exclusive items purchased by those of above-average means.

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