{"product_id":"aavikonhiekka-desert-sand-rya-rug-laila-karttunen-finland-1930s","title":"\"Aavikonhiekka\"\/ \"Desert Sand\" Rya Rug\/ Laila Karttunen\/ Finland, 1930s","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 1930s Finnish rya rug by textile artist and former director of the Wetterhoff Craft School, Laila Karttunen. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDesigned by Karttunen during the 1930s, as a model for the \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eWetterhoff Craft School in Hämeenlinna, the story of this boldly patterned and richly textured rya rug intersects with several important chapters in Finish design and textile history. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Wetterhoff School was founded in 1885 by \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFredrika Wetterhoff. With a background in education, Fredrika believed strongly in the economic benefit of craft to modern, working class women. Admission to the school was free until students were able to find employment in shops and factories.  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA year after its conception, the Wetterhoff School integrated weaving into its curriculum as both a practical pursuit and an attempt to promote this traditional, national craft. Moving into the 1930s, the school also welcomed several established textile artists including \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eLaila Karttunen, who would later become the school's artistic director. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis rug is an exciting example of Karttunen's work. Made as a model for the school, the design of rug feels both traditional and modern; a\u003c\/span\u003e symmetrical pattern of soft-pinks, yellows and cream, that reaches for figuration at the centre, but dissolves into cubic composition at its border. When discussing her art, Kartunnen is known to have said \"yarn is my paint\", and the deep, knotted pile of this rya rug only augments this painterly association. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLength: 170cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidth: 110cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaterials: wool\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtist: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLaila Karttunen (1895–1981) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFurther reading: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.hameenlinnantaidemuseo.fi\/in-english\/exhibitions\/past-exhibitions\/laila-karttunen-lifes-colourful-tapestry22-november-2024-4-may-2025\/\"\u003eLaila Karttunen, \"Life's Colourful Tapestry\", 2025 Exhibition at the Hämeenlinna Art Museum. \u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.wetterhoff.fi\/wetterhoff\/wetterhoff-history\"\u003eWetterhoff History\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sigmar London","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57147294941559,"sku":"S2332","price":2500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0279\/2194\/0555\/files\/finnish-rya-rug-pink-red-yellow-black-figural-cubic-composition-pattern-vintage-1930s-midcentury-vintage-original-wetterhoff-sigmar-london.jpg?v=1780679348","url":"https:\/\/www.sigmarlondon.com\/products\/aavikonhiekka-desert-sand-rya-rug-laila-karttunen-finland-1930s","provider":"Sigmar London","version":"1.0","type":"link"}