I'd be inclined to call these mugs perfect--just luminous with their hand-painted soft green and blue stripes over bright white slip, smooth surfaces, and elegant forms slightly tapered at the middle, which feel great to wrap one's hands around, though holding by their handles works well too! Plus this lovely small matching bowl/vase, which could hold sugar, or tea bags, or a bloom or two. I wish I had four mugs, but perhaps better to think of this as a set for two, with one extra mug in case at some point an unfortunate accident should occur:)
I believe these may be early prototypes: there is a hand-painted signature on the bottom of one that says only "A", which according to Andersen Design's own website identifies it as preceding the realization of Andersen Design as a brand, circa early fifties. [See the prototypes and also the mugs section of Andersen Design's store at https://store13231446.ecwid.com] It is also not clear to me that these were ever produced in volume--there was a straight sided striped mug, and a more elongated striped stein, but I at least can't find examples of others like these.
Andersen Design was established in 1952 on Southport Island, Maine, by Weston and Brenda Anderson with a philosophy of creating hand crafted products affordable to the middle class, and continues to operate today in Boothbay, ME.
Mugs measure 3 1/2" t x 3 1/8" in diameter; 3 7/8" across at handle. Bowl/vase measures 3 1/4" in diameter x 2 3/4" t. Very good overall condition, with one very tiny, very minor hairline crack on the exterior one mug, which does not run through the body, measures only about 1/2 inch, and is difficult to find even one one is searching for it.
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