This bold and joyful mid-century work is of Japanese art glass design and by the Japanese glassworks Iwatsu, who were known to have produced art glass under the labels of Hineri Art Glass.
There is an air of organic gracefulness in the way the stripes ripple and curve outwards as the body lightly twists, displaying an 'unfurling' of the two wings. The colours of Apricot, Scarlet Red and Violet swirl gloriously from the centre of the vase and reach outwards in the alternating bands of colour. The red and violet tones are translucent, showing spectacular refractions when placed in the path of sunlight. The work is finished with a clear glass 'Sommerso' casing.
This excellent piece is stylistically timeless yet very obviously retro and above all, joyful.
CONDITION
Very Good. There are light surface marks with the most considerable wear being movement marks that are on the underside of the base, which are commensurable with age. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the base has a concave pontil that is a known finishing touch of Iwatsu.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 7.9" / 20 cm (base to rim) Width/Depth: c. 7.9" / 20 cm x c. 3" / 7.5cm (across widest points). Base diameter: c. 3.1" / 8 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 1.3 kg / 1,310 g
NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Iwatsu Glassworks
Unfortunately, little is known about Iwatsu despite being one of the largest glassmakers in Japan, the commonly cited and understood reason is due to language barriers. However, Iwatsu is deemed to have produced art glass under the Hineri and Art Glass labels before closing in the 1990s. Iwatsu were known to have been based in Osaka in Japan, producing colourful art glass during the 1970s. The quality and style of their work rivalled and is often mistaken for, Italian Murano glass and Czech glass from the same period.