Scandinavian pewter and brass jar / humidor was designed by Estrid Ericson (1894-1981) and produced by Svenskt Tenn in Sweden c 1936-38. Signed with impressed manufacturer's mark to underside: Svenskt Tenn Stockholm with touchmarks. In very good condition. Measures 5" tall. Weight is 1 pd. 10 oz. In October 1924, Svenskt Tenn opens its doors on Smålandsgatan in Stockholm. Only thirty years old, Estrid Ericson, the art teacher from Hjo, invests the small inheritance she has just received from her father in her company. Together with well respected pewter artist Nils Fougstedt, Estrid Ericson wants to offer modern pewter objects at reasonable prices. They produce these themselves in the little workshop behind the store. Svenskt Tenn quickly gains recognition as an established brand of quality, and establishes a name for itself. In 1925, it receives a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. Estrid Ericson ran the daily operations of the company until 1975, when she, at the age of 81, sold the company to The Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation. After the sale she stayed on as the Managing Director of the company for several years. PROVENANCE: From the Estate of noted collector and Philanthropist Louis E. Stern (1886-1962) by descent. Art collector, attorney; New York, N.Y. Born in Balta, Russia, Stern joined his father in America ca. 1900, and earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1909. An avid patron of the arts, Stern's large collection was notable for its illustrated artists' books, prints, sculpture, ancient and primitive objects, and paintings, in particular his many works by Marc Chagall (he was Chagall's US attorney), Picasso, Braque and many more. Upon his death, his collections were given to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, his art library to Rutgers, and other additional items to the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

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