Esteri Tomula
Esteri Tomula (October 31, 1920 in Helsinki, Finland – 1998) was a ceramic artist and designer who worked at the Arabia ceramics factory in Helsinki, Finland from 1947 to 1984. Known for her decorative work often inspired by Finland's flora. Her most famous designs include the tableware series Pastoraali, Fennica and Krokus, and she often collaborated with Kaj Franck, a famous Finnish ceramic designer.
Esteri Tomula

Kalle Kultala / Lehtikuva · Public domain
- Name
- Esteri Tomula
- Born
- 31 October 1920
- Birthplace
- Helsinki
- Died
- 18 April 1998
- Known for
- ceramic design
- Nationality
- Finland
- Occupation
- designer
- Languages
- Finnish
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Tomula used a special technique that combined printing and painting: the black outlines were first screen-printed and then filled with colorful, hand-painted details. The Esteri pattern, originally designed by Tomula in 1973, was relaunched in 2017 by Arabia to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Finland. Her most collected design Krokus, an example of her signature silk-screen printing technique, was only in production for two years between 1978 and 1979. According to her obituary, Esteri Tomula died in Helsinki in 1998 at the age of 77, after a three decade career at the Arabia ceramics factory. The foundation is set up to fund the purchase of domestic and international ceramics, in particular Tomula's own works, for the collection of the Design Museum, Helsinki.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Esteri Tomula • Born — 31 October 1920 • Birthplace — Helsinki • Died — 18 April 1998 • Place of death — Helsinki • Known for — ceramic design • Notable Works — Krokus, Pastoraali, Fennica
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Esteri Tomula was born at Helsinki.
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Esteri Tomula died at Helsinki.
Deathplace
Helsinki.
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reference work
- “Esteri Tomula”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5400997: Esteri Tomula
General reference · Wikidata
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Esteri Tomula, revision 1342889754 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Taskinen, Rita: Suomalainen Design From Finland, Kuka kukin on, Who’s Who in Finnish Design. Helsinki: Ornamo, 1992.
- 2.Esteri Tomula. scandinavian-lifestyle.com.
- 3.Esteri Tomula. scandinavian-lifestyle.com.
- 4.Arabia Krokus. astialiisa.com.
- 5.Esteri Tomula's obituary in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. hs.fi. 17 May 1998.
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