Signe Persson-Melin
Arist and designer Signe Persson-Melin was one of Sweden’s foremost ceramicists. She decided early on, as a teenager to pursue a career as a ceramicist. Only a few years later, Svenskt Tenn would stock her teapots and mugs.
Signe Persson-Melin (1925 – 2022) began her career through an apprenticeship at Lomma Ler och Keramik, a producer of flower pots. Later, she would study at the University of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) and Kunsthandvaerkerskolen in Copenhagen. Her first exhibition at Galleri Moderne in Stockholm 1953 was a great success and she was heralded by critics to be a great new talent. At H55, an exhibition in Helsinborg in 1955, she became known to a wider audience thanks to her spice jars in white-glazed ceramics.
Beyond her work as a ceramicist, Signe Persson-Melin also made a great impact as a glass designer with objects for table settings. She had her own workshop in Malmö between 1950 – 1966 and she was associated with Höganäs Keramik between 1967 – 1978, as well as Rörstrand between 1978 – 1985. She was also a professor at the University of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) between 1985 – 1990 and 1993 – 1995.
The Myrten Teapot in pewter.
In the early 2000s, Signe Persson-Melin created her first objects in pewter, taking part in a tribute collection celebrating Estrid Ericson in conjunction to Svenskt Tenn’s 80-year jubilee in 2004. Signe Persson-Melin was one of ten female designers who were invited. Her contributions to the collection consisted of a teapot, a cream pitcher and a coaster made of pewter as well as mugs made of fine bone china. This is when she realised that pewter shared a lot of qualities with clay. The soft, imprinted pattern of myrtle served as proof that her ceramic shapes were directly transferrable to the media of pewter.
During the collaboration with Svenskt Tenn, Signe Persson-Melin realised that she could draw patterns. Surely, she had earlier carved, embossed, and stamped patterns on her ceramic designs for many years, but when Svenskt Tenn asked her to draw a myrtle pattern that could be used to decorate dinnerplates, she was initially hesitant.
— I tried to explain that drawing patterns was the very least of my skills, but the people at Svenskt Tenn were very stubborn and eventually they got their way. Today, I am incredibly happy about that.
The Myrten (Myrtle) pattern is today available on several table setting products in Svenskt Tenn’s range.
Teapot in pewter with embossed myrtle pattern, designed by Signe Persson-Melin in 2004.
Signe Persson-Melin“I tried to explain that drawing patterns was the very least of my skills, but the people at Svenskt Tenn were very stubborn and eventually they got their way. Today, I am incredibly happy about that.”
