Simon Gate Orrefors Mirror from Oceanliner M/S Kungsholm (1928)
$69,500.00
Our client's important etched glass mirror was designed by Simon Gate (1883-1945) for Orrefors in 1928, and is one of two mirrors commissioned for the Swedish oceanliner, M/S Kungsholm, which took its maiden voyage in 1929. 32 by 55.5 in (84 by 141 cm). It has a rectangular shaped metal frame bordered by 28 shaped glass plaques with double welt caming etched with stylized mermaids, nude figures, dolphins and tridents. Etched mark in lower right reads ORREFORS S. GATE 1928. This is one of two mirrors that hung in the vestibule connecting the first-class main lounge, the principal and most elegant gala room on the ship, and the music room. The whereabouts of the other mirror is not known.
Built in Hamburg in 1928, the M/S Kungsholm and had her inaugural voyage when she sailed to the Caribbean for the Swedish American Lines in 1929. The Kungsholm was not the largest of ships, but it was envisioned as an intimate showcase for Art Deco design executed in luxurious materials by Sweden's premier artists and craftsmen.
Notably, this is one of a very few number of decorative objects from the ship that have survived following its seizure by the U.S. in 1941 for the transport of troops in WWII. The interior of the ship was designed by Carl Bergsten to showcase the very best of Swedish fine and decorative arts to the world. For more information, we invite you to read the lot essay from the Christie's sale in 1991 which included the mirror in lot 248.
There are numerous scratches and silvering losses to the main mirror and etched panels.
Additional images forwarded upon request.
Literature:
* Gustaf Munthe, Swedish Arts and Crafts on M/S Kungsholm. Göteborg, Swedish American Line 1934,
P. 10 (see ill. p. 14.)
* Anne-Marie Ericsson, M/S Kungsholms Inredning: Mästerverk | Svensk Art Deco (MS Kungsholm's Inteiror Masterpieces in Swedish Art Deco), 2005 (see ill. p. 142)
* The Brilliance of Swedish Glass 1918-1939, Exhibition Catalog, Derek E. Ostergard and Nina Stritzler-Levine, eds., Yale University Press, New York, 1996
