Iridescence

This striking handblown work of Swedish art glass design is by Bertil Vallien (b. 1938 - ), celebrated glass artist, sculptor, ceramist, and designer. Vallien's career in glass began at Boda Glassworks in 1963, upon his return to Sweden from his studies in art and ceramics, both in Sweden and the US. Vallien's experimentation with sand-casting glass techniques would eventually bring him fame and this fascination is evident even in this exploratory piece.

The exterior surface of this piece is undulating, uneven, and with a base colour of pearlescent green. The next layer is a dappling in rich Inky Indigo which encircles the bowl interspersed with what appears to be a Powdered Peach tone. The iridescence is underpinned with lava-rock-like texture and the whole piece is finished with a dusted Peridot-toned 'pebble'. The interior of the bowl is a smooth, semi-matte and frosted layer of glass overlaid in iridescence.

The overall effect is quite spectacular, giving the air of a delicate bowl carved from an extraterrestrial iridescent geode of quartz crystal and lava. 

This particular piece is numbered and marked as 'Unik', indicating that it is a unique piece and when combined with the design, craftsmanship and condition, makes this piece a rare find. 

CONDITION
Excellent, no chips, cracks or repairs. Age-commensurate wear, most prominently on the underside of the bowl, please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The bowl is inscribed with 'BODA UNIK 3645 B.VALLIEN. The exterior also bears the silver label 'Handmade Boda Sweden'.

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 3.2" /  8.2 cm x c. 4.1" / 10.4 cm diameter (across widest point). Base diameter: c. 2" / 5cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.3 kg / 275 g.

NOTES
Bowl will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Born in 1938, Bertil Vallien was only 15 when he left home, drawn by the allure of the big city. After a series of occasional jobs, as a window-dresser at one of the main department stores in Stockholm, and as an apprentice in his father's decorating firm, Vallien would eventually decide to become an artist which would lead him into the world of ceramics. The guidance he received in his early career included that of Stig Lindberg - one of Sweden's foremost designers of ceramic art and one of the leading designers for Rörstrand in the 1970s.

Today, Vallien is one of the most well-known representatives of 20th-century Swedish ceramic and art glass design and is represented at the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design as well as abroad at the Everson Museum of Art of New York.

Vallien's works have only become more collectable over the years with sculptures from his Head and Journey (Boat) series fetching up to $20,000 USD.

This elegantly ethereal duo of handblown Swedish art glass miniatures is by Bertil Vallien, (b. 1938 - ), internationally celebrated Swedish glass artist, sculptor, ceramist, and designer for Kosta Boda, one of Sweden's leading glassworks.

Those familiar with the process of hand-blowing or hot working glass will know that glass needs to reach 1,320 °C (2,400 °F) to melt and even the working temperature is 1,090 °C (2,000 °F). This knowledge helps to appreciate the care, effort, and skill required to create these miniature works of art glass.

The blue pipe vase bearing the signature winding stripes is from Vallien's Rainbow series, designed in the 1980s. However, it is created in the uncommon and translucent Pale Powdered blue with traces of a golden-sand toned frit glass interwoven into the body.

The lidded pot is even more unusual and has not been attributable to a series, though it is a Vallien signed piece with its original label intact. The body and lid are also in an airy, Pale Powdered blue tone, very similar to the tone used in Vallien's Starlight series. The piece is finished with a clear curl finial on the lid.

Both pieces carry labels that display the parent company of Kosta Boda AB, this name came into use in 1976 before changing to Orrefors Kosta Boda AB in 1989.

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks, or repairs, please see photos as they form part of the condition report.
- Blue Rainbow Vase - the piece is inscribed with "BODA, ARTIST COL, B VALLIEN, 48282"
- Starlight Blue Lidded pot - the piece is inscribed with "Kosta Boda, B Vallien"

MEASUREMENTS
- Blue Rainbow Vase: Height: c. 2.5" / 6.3 cm x c. 1.8" / 4.6 cm rim diameter. Base diameter: c. 1.3" / 3.2 cm.
- Starlight Blue Lidded pot: Height: c. 4.1" / 10.5 cm (including lid). Diameter: c. 2.3" / 5.9 cm.
Unpackaged weight [all pieces]: c. 0.2 kg / 225 g

NOTES
Duo will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Born 1938, Bertil Vallien was only 15 when he left home, drawn by the allure of the big city. After a series of occasional jobs, as a window-dresser at one of the main department stores in Stockholm, and as an apprentice in his father's decorating firm, Vallien would eventually decide to become an artist which would lead him into the world of ceramics. The guidance he received in his early career included that of Stig Lindberg - one of Sweden's foremost designers of ceramic art and one of the leading designers for Rörstrand in the 1970's.

Today, Vallien is one of the most well-known representatives of 20th century Swedish ceramic and art glass design and is represented at the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design as well as abroad in the Everson Museum of Art of New York. Vallien's works have only become more collectable over the years with sculptures from his Head and Journey (Boat) series fetching up to $20,000 USD.

This elegant trio of handblown Swedish art glass miniatures is by three of Kosta Boda's famously celebrated glass artists: Bertil Vallien, Ulrica Hyd-Vallien and Monika (Monica) Backstrom.

In this trio:
- The charming white frit glass and hand-painted bowl is by Ulrica Hyd-Vallien from her 1979 series 'Butterfly'.
- The white frit glass, abstract flask-form vase, with delicate and tactile netted surface pattern is by Bertil Vallien from his 1978 series 'Network'.
- The elegant abstract bottle vase in tactile grey scavo and smooth, clear crystal casing is by Monika Backstrom attributed to her 1989 series Sunny. This piece is trimmed in Cerulean blue as opposed to the usual Scarlet red.

Both the Butterfly bowl and Network vase is from The Artist Collection, a concept was introduced by Vallien to give glass artists the freedom for personal, creative expression and to remove the 'mass produced' feeling. The final piece is from Kosta Boda Atelier collections. Whether pieces were created as part of The Artist Collection or Atelier, they are limited edition studio works and individual to the artist that created them. As each piece is handblown, this also makes the final décor of each piece unique.

Those familiar with the process of hand-blowing or hot working glass will know that glass needs to reach 1,320 °C (2,400 °F) to melt and even the working temperature is 1,090 °C (2,000 °F). This knowledge alone is enough to appreciate the care, effort and skill required to create these miniature works of art glass.

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs, please see photos as they form part of the condition report.
- Network White Flask - piece is inscribed with "BODA, ARTIST COL, B VALLIEN, 48012"
- Sunny Grey Bottle - piece is bears label with "KOSTA BODA SWEDEN, ATELIER BY MONIKA BACKSTROM"
- Butterfly White Bowl - piece is signed with "Ulrica H.V" and further inscribed with "Boda, Artist Col. 58236"

MEASUREMENTS
- Network White Flask: Height: c. 3.8" / 9.7 cm x c. 0.8" / 2 cm rim diameter. Base measurements: c. 2" / 5 cm x c. 1" / 2.5 cm.
- Sunny Grey Bottle : Height: c. 3.3" / 8.3 cm x c. 0.7" / 1.7 cm rim diameter. Diameter: c. 1.6" / 4 cm. Base diameter: c. 0.8" / 2 cm.
- Butterfly White Bowl: Height: c. " / 4.7 cm x c. " / cm rim diameter. Diameter: c. 2.4" / 6.2 cm. Base diameter: c. 1" / 2.6 cm.

Unpackaged weight [all pieces]: c. 0.2 kg / 230 g

NOTES
Trio will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Kosta Boda, Sweden’s oldest glass company, was founded as 'Kosta' in 1742 and began making art glass — that is, unique and limited edition pieces — with the hiring of the painter Gunnar Wennerberg in 1898. Kosta has a strong history for many well-known glass artists such as Ewald Dahlskog, Vicke Lindstrand, Erik Höglund, Bertil Vallien and many many more.

Kosta Boda was formed in 1976 when the merger of Kosta, Boda and Åfors glass communities took place. Kosta Boda enjoys a reputation as Sweden's most artistic and experimental glassworks, featuring artists and sculptors.

This exceptional and rare work of Art Nouveau, Art Deco art glass is by Bohemian glassworks Kralik. The decor of this piece is the well documented 'Draped', which as the name suggests, has the effect of draped fabric. The textured, 'draped' surface effect is combined with the gold-toned iridescence of the art glass gives the effect of draped Cranberry pink satin.

The piece is finished with a silver collar accent (hallmarked to Birmingham Assay Office 1903-1904), which complements its elegant bottle form and was common to art glass design during the Art Nouveau period.

BIT OF HISTORY
The Kralik glassworks, full name Wilhelm Kralik Sohne, was originally founded by Josef Meyr in 1815, in Bohemia. The factory was originally called Adolfshutte. When Josef died, his son Jan took over the company. By this time, the company owned four glass factories. Jan died in 1841, and his two nephews Josef Taschek and Wilhelm Kralik became the owners. The company name was changed to J. Meyr's Neffen, and when Josef died in 1862, the name changed to J. Meyr's Neffe.

Wilhelm Kralik died in 1877, and left the company to his 4 sons. The company was split in two - Heinrich and Johann took the name Wilhelm Kralik Sohne, Hugo and Karl used the name Meyr's Neffe. Meyr's Neffe merged with Moser in 1922. Wilhelm Kralik Sohne continued to produce glassware until World War II.

CONDITION
Superb. There are no chips, cracks or repair to the glass, there is the mild sanding at the rim that is visible as a result of the wear to the silver collar and is from the production process. There is a single bubbling measuring c. 0.2 mm which is from the production process and has been mentioned for completeness. There is significant and visible wear to the silver collar which can be left untouched for its antique charm or replaced if preferred. Please see photos as they form part of the condition report. The silver collar is hallmarked to the Birmingham Assay Office, 1903-1904, the silversmith mark is unclear but has been attributed as 'AHD', Alfred Horatio Darby who was active from 1895 to 1933.

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 7.3" / 18.5 cm (from base to rim) x max diameter: c. 2.9" / 7.5 cm. Rim diameter: c. 1" / 2.7 cm. Base diameter: c. 1.8" / 4.5 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.2 kg / 228 g

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.