Hanna

Pictured above are five small porcelain cups, each about 6cm tall. While they were sold as espresso cups, I’ve only very seldom used them in that way, generally preferring a more conventional demi-tasse for my coffee. They have served such miscellaneous purposes as temporary containment for pre-measured cooking ingredients; for serving shots of aquavit; and as impromptu egg-cups. My late wife took a shine to the bold designs when she saw them in a shop somewhere in Sweden ca. 2006, and, instead of getting several the same, she bought one in each of the available colourways.

The pattern is apparently called Näckrosryss, the work of designer Hanna Werning, made for Rörstrand, whose origins go back as far as 1726, making it “Europe’s second-oldest porcelain brand”. Nowadays Rörstrand is one of numerous tableware brands belonging to the Fiskars group, including a couple of other brands I’ve mentioned here before: Iitala and Royal Albert. According to Werning, the pattern is “a happy marriage of Russian souvenirs and Swedish flora”. On the base of each cup is the text HANNA, the designer’s signature, and the Rörstrand name and logo.