Gunnar Cyrén & Ingrid Dessau, a 316-piece “Nobel” service, comprising porcelain, cutlery, glassware and napkins.
The service comprises 132 pieces of Gustavsberg porcelain:
12 plates with blue rims (diam. 22 cm)
12 plates with yellow rims (diam. 25.5 cm)
12 plates with green rims (diam. 22 cm)
12 plates with white rims (diam. 25.5 cm)
12 charger plates with Nobel portrait medallions (diam. 32 cm)
12 side plates (22 x 11 cm)
1 dish with a moulded rim (diam. 31 cm)
2 salt cellars
12 lidded bowls (one with edge wear to the inside of the rim)
12+2 flower-calyx-shaped bowls (diam. 16.8 cm)
1 coffee pot with lid (h. 20.6 cm)
1+2 pedestal bowls (diam. 16.5 and 22 cm)
1 larger bowl (diam. 26 cm)
1 cake dish (diam. 31 cm)
12 teacups with saucers
12 coffee cups with saucers, of which 11 are decorated with Nobel portrait medallions
1 octagonal dish, marked “Kungliga Slottet Stockholm 1996” (diam. 25.5 cm)
12 linen napkins, Klässbols Linneväveri, decorated with Nobel portrait medallions (68 x 68 cm)
The cutlery set, comprising 110 pieces in stainless steel and gilt steel, for Gense/Yamazaki, comprises:
12 spoons (l. 18.8 cm)
24 table forks (l. 19.3 cm)
12 table knives (l. 22 cm)
12 fish servers (l. 21 cm, gilt)
12 teaspoons (l. 12.3 cm, gilt)
12 dessert spoons (l. 16.5 cm, gilt)
12 dessert forks (l. 16.2 cm, gilt)
12 dessert knives (l. 18.5 cm, gilt)
1 pair of serving cutlery
The glass service, comprising 62 pieces by Orrefors, comprises:
12 fortified wine glasses with blue stems (h. 13.8 cm)
12 white wine glasses with green stems (h. 19 cm)
12 wine glasses (h. 14 cm)
12 wine glasses (h. 18.2 cm, one with wear to the gilding)
12 champagne/ martini glasses (h. 12 cm)
2 tealight holders
Provenance
Art and cultural historian Åke Livstedt (1943–2018), Bromma.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.
For the 90th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in 1991, Åke Livstedt was commissioned to create an entirely new table setting inspired by the Nordic winter, light and beauty. The result was a unique service in which form, art and gastronomy are brought together in an elegant whole. The service comprises porcelain designed by Karin Björquist, glassware by Gunnar Cyrén and table linen by Ingrid Dessau – all created to highlight Swedish design at both national and international level.
The design is based on the number four:
Four geometric forms: cube, sphere, column and pyramid; four continents, four seasons and the four Nobel Prizes awarded in Stockholm. The plates are colour-coded to symbolise season, continent and prize: green (spring, America) for physics, white (summer, Africa) for chemistry, yellow (autumn, Asia) for medicine and cobalt blue (winter, Europe) for literature. The soup is served in a bowl shaped like a pomegranate, with a lid concealing a surprise. The characteristic bread plate, known as the “Brödvinge”, and the salt cellar in the form of a shell mounted on a gilded cube are further details that give the service its unique charm.
Every detail represents a meeting between form and function, inspired by Japanese serving traditions and designed with millimetre precision to accommodate a table setting for all 1,300 guests. Originally created for an anniversary, this Nobel service has become a cherished and recurring tradition.
Åke Livstedt’s tireless commitment to cultural history was recognised in 2004 with the Artur Prize from Nordiska Museet and Skansens Vänner. The citation read: “With the knowledge of an educator and teacher about the significance of history for the future, he has, among other things, renewed the table setting for the Nobel Banquet and the textiles of Stockholm Concert Hall. Both have brought considerable attention to Swedish arts and crafts and applied art.”
More information
The Nobel service was awarded Utmärkt Svensk Form (Excellent Swedish Design) in 1992.
For condition report contact specialist
What will the transport cost?
Shipping can only be arranged by contacting specialdelivery@bukowskis.com.
Image rights
The artworks in this database are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the rights holders. The artworks are reproduced in this database with a license from Bildupphovsrätt.
Others have also viewed
