Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass
Kosta Boda Glass Glass 1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass

1970s-80s Swedish (Kosta) Boda by Bertil Vallien Iridescent Blue and Yellow Deco Sculpted Art Glass

Regular price £286.00 Sale price £229.00 Save £57.00

THE ITEM
This spectacular work of Swedish studio art glass is by Bertil Vallien, (b. 1938 - ) internationally renowned glass artist, sculptor, ceramist and designer. Valien'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. It was his experimentation with sand casting glass techniques that would eventually bring him fame and this fascination is evident even in this exploratory piece.

The form of this piece is gently undulating and biomorphically uneven, shaped from the interior base glass that is a clear and yellow freckled at the base that eventually swirls when it reach reaches the rim. The interior glass is smooth and overlaid with a gentle iridescence all over. 

The exterior layer of decor is of striates in an iridescent and vivid indigo with traces of the sand from the casting and which encircles the piece. The indigo is underlined with one strong stroke of glossy bubbled indigo, textured like lava rock. Beneath the lava rock is an iridescently golden sand colour and texture which finishes at the base with stronger traces of the sand Vallien used to cast the bowl. 

The piece is complimented with two translucent and iridescent, softly waved handles comparable to the fins of a fish or stems of seaweed, which brings further coastal tones. The work is finished with the mark of a the Sun Cross symbol that is characteristic to Vallien's inclusion of symbolism in his sculptures. The overall effect is similar to that of a delicate vessel carved from a geode of quartz crystal and lava with traces of the ocean as adornment.  

This work was created as part of 'Boda', which was a small community that was built glass artists and designers who had their own studio space to create more unique and smaller batched pieces. Boda integrated with Kosta Boda in 1976. 

CONDITION

Superb, there are no chips or cracks, there is one small hairline scratch near the rim - please do see photos as part of condition report. Underside of base is incised with 'BODA, B. VALLIEN, ATELJE 277' . The bowl is also labelled with the 'Handmade, Boda, Sweden' label that was in use prior to the Kosta Boda merging in 1976. 

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 4.7" / 12 cm x c. 5.4" / 13.7 cm rim diameter, base diameter 2" / 5 cm 

Unpackaged weight: c. 0.6 kg / 618 g

NOTES
Glass 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.

A demonstration of Vallien's sand casting process: https://youtu.be/hjW7qoLvwYw

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. 

Valiien'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. 


You may also like