THE ITEM
This sleek work of Scandinavian Modern design is an art glass solifleur vase and was designed by Vicke Lindstrand, a Swedish designer considered as one of the most influential 20th-century glass artists.
Lindstrand's prolific career included many design highlights, including his ability to excel at a technique called cased glass (known to Murano collectors as 'Sommerso'), in which a vividly coloured or patterned section of glass is surrounded by and seems to float within a clear crystal body.
This particular piece very much embodies the tenets of simplicity, minimalism and functionality influences of the Scandinavian Modern design movement. The strokes of deep purple-black curve around the central chamber and the visual overlapping of the lines create the illusion of diagonal crosshatch effect. All of this is suspended in a curved and clear crystal glass form.
CONDITION
Very good, no chips, scratches or cracks. There is use-wear in the form of water stains on the inside and negligible movement marks on the underside of the vase, which are commensurable with the age of the piece - please see photos as part of description. Base of vase is signed 'KOSTA LH (Lindstrand Hyttarbete) 1382'
MEASUREMENTS
c. 8.3" / 21 cm tall (from base to rim) x c. 3.9" / 10 cm in width (across widest point). Base diameter: c. 2" / 5 cm
Unpackaged weight: 2.2 kg / 2,225 g
NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Vicke Lindstrand was a Swedish designer considered among the most influential 20th-century glass artists. Lindstrand along with his peer Edvin Öhström, pioneered a new glass-coloring process called the Ariel technique. Born Victor Emanuel Lindstrand on November 27, 1904 in Gothenburg, Sweden. His prolific career began in commercial illustration, later finding employment at the glass manufactory Orrefors. Beyond his commercial work, he also produced several massive public sculptures around the world. Lindstrand died on May 7, 1983 in Kosta, Sweden. Today, the artist’s works are in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Sweden’s oldest glass company, Kosta Boda, also enjoys a reputation as the country’s most artistic and experimental glassmaker. Since the late 19th century, Kosta Boda has hired painters, sculptors and other artists for short stints — generally two or three years — designing glassware, ensuring that the firm’s aesthetic is always lively and fresh.
Two former army officers founded Kosta Boda in 1742 in Sweden’s densely forested Småland province. (Plentiful timber was needed as fuel for the melting furnaces.) The glassworks’ early products consisted of everyday glassware, such as drinking vessels and windowpanes. As the company recruited master craftsmen from Bohemia, it created fine crystal for an aristocratic clientele.
Kosta Boda began making art glass — that is, unique and limited edition pieces — with the hiring of the painter Gunnar Wennerberg in 1898. Wennerberg worked in the Art Nouveau style and brought a lush, organic look to the company’s wares. He was followed to the firm by artists such as Edvin Ollers, who in the early- 20th century created rich geometric and abstract floral patterns that were engraved on clear crystal.
Two post-war Kosta Boda designers stand foremost in the minds of collectors. One is Vicke Lindstrand, who excelled at a technique called cased glass, in which a vividly coloured or patterned section of glass is surrounded by and seems to float within a clear crystal body. The other is Erik Höglund, who had an almost artisanal eye for glass shapes, and liked to produce glass that had a textured, warped look.