Märta Afzelius (1887–1961) was a Swedish

textile artist Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials use ...

who also worked as a painter and illustrator. She is remembered in particular for textiles based on religious subjects. From 1928, Afzelius produced works for commercial firms including Elsa Gullberg Textil och Inredningar and . Her creations include the largest rug from Sweden, designed for the liner MS ''Kungsholm'' in 1928. She also designed bishops'

chasubles The chasuble () is the outermost Christian liturgy, liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christianity, Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Catholic Church, Roman Catholic ...

, embroidered patterns for furniture, and new designs for Vastena lace. Her most celebrated work is the woven

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

she created for

Linköping Cathedral Linköping Cathedral () is an active Lutheran church (building), church in the Swedish city of Linköping, the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Linköping in the Church of Sweden. One of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Scandinavia, it is situat ...

in 1935.

Early life

Born in Stockholm on 14 May 1887, Märta Afzelius was the daughter of the lawyer and politician Johan Fredrik Ivar Afzelius and his wife Anna Sofia Gabriella née Richert. She attended the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other fine arts, it is one of seve ...

(1911–1914) and made several study trips to Italy and Iceland.

Career

Afelius working together with the textile designer

Elsa Gullberg Elsa Gullberg (14 March 1886 – 1 March 1984) was a Swedish interior architect and textile designer. She was a pioneer of modern textile design in Sweden and played an instrumental role in transforming the textile industry. She was one of the re ...

for a number a years, in 1928 she joined her textile and interior decorating firm Elsa Gullberg Textil och Inredningar in Stockholm. Her first assignment was to create several rugs for the 1928 Swedish liner MS Kungsholm. One of them, designed in Chinese style, attracted attention as the largest pile rug to be woven in Sweden. In 1932, she created patterns for tablecloths including "Svensk Flora" and "Gårdarna" which were machine-woven by Almedahl-Dalsjöfors. Many of her works depicted religious subjects, such as an altarpiece of the crucifix woven with the technique which was exhibited at the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition. Its creatively stylized human forms made such an impression on the Norwegian painter Henrik Sørensen that in 1935 he commissioned her to create a triptych for the choir ambulatory in Linköping Cathedral behind his own paintings. Titled "Skapelsen" (the Creation), with its vividly coloured stylized foliage and animals, it is Afzelius's largest woven work and her most celebrated creation. From 1941 to 1952, Afzelius worked for Licium, where she contributed designs for religious works, such as bishops' chasubles. She designed one for the newly established diocese of Stockholm in 1942 but also for other dioceses. Her religious works included antependia and wall hangings, some commissioned by

Skara Cathedral Skara Cathedral () is a church (building), church in the town of Skara, Sweden. The cathedral is the seat for the bishop of the Diocese of Skara of the Church of Sweden . History Its history is traced from the 10th century, but its current app ...

in 1949 and St Olai's Church in

Norrköping Norrköping ( , ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Lin ...

in 1950. Märta Afzelius died on 30 June 1961 in Stockholm.

Awards

In 1941, Afzelius was honoured with the

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

medal for her contributions to Swedish culture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afzelius, Marta 1887 births 1961 deaths Artists from Stockholm Swedish textile designers 20th-century Swedish women textile artists 20th-century Swedish textile artists 20th-century Swedish painters Litteris et Artibus recipients