Upsala Ekeby, marked UE 4061 with the Mari Simmulson stamp, 23 cm

The seemingly endless depth and breadth of ceramics collecting is both a joy and frustration — joy because there is always something new to discover, frustration because you wish you had found something earlier. Such was the case for me with Swedish company Upsala Ekeby, or UE, whose prolific and talented female designer Mari Simmulson created the piece here in 1952. Simmulson, whose ceramics creativity seemingly had no limits, experimented with hundreds of different shapes, glazes, textures and colors over a wonderful career at UE. She wielded her additional talent for painting not only to enhance pottery, but create beautiful fabrics, paintings and public works. We would never have benefited from this amazing contributor to the arts, however, but for the kindness and generosity of other nations. Born in St. Petersburg, Mari fled with her family to Tallinn, Estonia in 1919 to escape the Russian civil war. In 1944, her family fled the bombing of Tallinn and made their way to Sweden in an open boat — a journey not unlike that of the refugees fleeing to Europe today. One wonders how many Maris are on those boats now, waiting to give their gift of art to the world.