Currently held on consignment at Andrews Oakville
This sculpted and handblown work of Japanese art glass is by the glassworks Sanyu, from the 'Narumi Fantasy' series that is characterised by its candy and jewel-like colour palette.
The form is highly tactile and superbly organic with 3 lobes alternating between 3 swirled faces. A beautifully elegant piece, the stylised curves and arches provide prismatic ability. The colour palette of this series only contains the 3 colours of Tourmaline pink, Topaz blue and Citrine yellow. The 3 colours change their tones as they become magnified and overlapped within the clear exterior casing creating additional shades of green, peach and purple.
There is a further layer of hidden magic within this piece that becomes apparent when it is placed in the pathway of sunlight and surrounding surfaces light up from the refractions.
The enchanting quality of the captured colours and the uniqueness of being handblown makes this piece suitable for display or for functional use.
CONDITION
Superb. No chips or cracks or damage, There is mild wear, predominantly movement marks on the underside of the base that is commensurate with age. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 3.6" / c. 9.2 cm tall x c. 6.3" / c. 16 cm diameter (across widest point) Rim opening measurements: c. 4.7" / c. 12 cm (across widest point). Base measurements: c. 2.8" / c. 7 cm. Unpackaged weight c. 1.7 kg / c. 1,660 gms.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Sanyu Glass Co. is based in Osaka, Japan and has been producing art glass since the 1950s. Similar to other better-known Japanese glassworks of Iwatsu and Hineri, the quality and style are often mistaken for Murano and Czech glass from the same era.
Though knowledge of Japanese glassworks is scarce in Western countries, what is known is that the quality of Japanese art glass from the 1950s to the 1970s rivalled that of Murano, Scandinavian, and Czech glass production. Recognition has been relatively low and most pieces imported into the Western market are often simply marked with the word 'Foreign' or not at all. It is rare to discover pieces with the original glassworks or importing company's label.