Posted 12 years ago
vetraio50
(756 items)
The design of this vase has captivated me for nearly twenty years now. The smoky grey fading towards the finely worked mouth. Everybody seems to love the clean lines and clear crystal of Strömberg.
The mark on this 'solifleur' vase reads Strömberg B963 in engraved needle point on the edge of the smooth ground pontil. This sommerso vase came in at least two colours: a smoky grey like this one and a pale brown too.
According to some sources it was designed by Gerda Strömberg in 1958. But this is a matter of dispute it seems and some others are suggesting that it is in fact a design by Gunnar Nylund, yet others say Asta Strömberg.
Gerda Strömberg (1887 - 1968) was the wife of the founder of Strömbergshyttan Edvard Strömberg. They took over an existing glassworks Lindefors in 1933 just at the end of the Great Depression. It is situated in the region of the Swedish province Småland, which is called the Kingdom of Crystal - located in Lessebo Municipality, midway between the central towns Hovmantorp and Lessebo.
Prior to this venture Edvard and Gerda had been working at other factories including an interesting period at the Eda glassworks in Värmland. Edvard had a thing about not signing glass: he saw a piece as being the result of a team effort rather than the brain-child of a particular designer. So the marks on their pieces are a matter of dispute when seen from a contemporary perspective with an interest on 'design' and 'designers'. This vase has the numbers B963 and it seems the B means simply = vas (Blomvas) 'flower vase' and the numbers are a design code that gives an indication of time period. The 963 puts it before 1963 according to a list given me by scandinavian_pieces. Thanks Amy!
The suggestion of the vase's design date as 1958 is plausible. What is less plausible for some is that Gerda would have designed the vase. Some suggest that she was less active at this stage at the factory at the age of 71. Gerda's daughter Asta is also known to have done some sommerso pieces which were called 'sputnik' at the factory. Now it's suggested she did not start designing until after 1960 when her husband died. The other suggestion is Gunnar Nyland who was part of the Strömberg team from 1954-1967 and was responsible for many of their sommerso pieces, it seems.
If anyone can give me any more information on this vase I'd be pleased to hear from them. It is a personal favourite and is part of my personal "top ten".
But then I probably should do what Edvard suggested and think about the entire team rather than just personalities! There are some secrets residing there at Strömbergshyttan.
Goin' well, bellin' 'n u?'
'n thanx soooo much!
Many thanks inky!
Many thanks miKKo!
Hi, I've just joined here and found this post about the vase from Strömbergshyttan. The model B963 is in a period when Asta Stromberg designed very much herself, even though she was in a busy to the lead company. Eg she designed the Sputnik vases B895, the Diamonds B900, B940, B950, B960 and B970. Also believe that the models B937, B942/943, B946, B982 (which is similar to the B963), B985, B937/930 miniatyres, B1000, B1015 is her design, though Gunnar Nylund usually get credit for these models. Much of what comes after that is also her design. So I'm probably leaning more to her than Gunnar Nylund in this case. Asta Stromberg seems to have fallen into the design as early as numbers B431, as my father (who was chief of the foundry from the late 1940's to 1979) written down. First from numbers about B600, my father wrote that Gunnar Nulund came into the design. Asta has therefore designed glass at Strombergshyttan much earlier than the 1960s (which may otherwise stated), according to his information, and this is first-hand information from the man who lead the production in the foundray from late 1940's - the end 1979.
Greetings,
Nils/
Hi Nils! Thanks for your input and welcome to CW. Thank you for adding this information about the earlier designs of Asta. I'm looking forward to reading your comments about other Strömberg pieces here on CW.
Could I ask the name of your father?
Edit: Gerda Stromberg is out of the question, because she after her husband's death in 1946 moved from Strömbergshyttan to Växjö and almost stopped drawing glass, after what I have been told by my uncle who grew up in Strömbergshyttan during the 1940s.. Would think that it was then Asta came in as a designer, already at the end of the 1940s? From 1960 she compleatley took over the leading of the company.
My father was Sven-Erik´"Putte" Bergqvist, and my gradfather masterblower Knut Bergqvist (Kosta 1880-1900, White Mills USA 1900-1901, Kosta 1901-1914, Orrefors 1914-1929, Lindefors-Strömbergshyttan 1929-1953.
Thanks Nils! The Berqvist name is a great one!
I've just found a photo of your grandfather and Edward Hald at Strömberghyttan here:
http://precisensan.com/antikforum/showthread.php?22031-Lyssna-p%E5-webbradion
The White Mills connection I had read about before.
I had seen reference to it and placed a question on facebook earlier this year.
It really is interesting that there is an unknkown American connection.
In 1901 there were problems at Kosta where Knut was working: a temporary problem due a fire at the works. For eight months Knut travelled to the US and went to White Mills in Pennsylvania! White Mills was the site of the great Dorflinger Glass Company. Did Knut find employment there?
Knut Rudolf Bergqvist is considered to be the inventor of the "Graal" glass technique around 1916.
http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knut_Bergqvist
Many thanks artislove!
Many thanks MattyG!
Intriguingly beautiful and would like to see how they get the color sharply inside and the gradual fade to black bottom.
I agree with you Matt! It has a prime position among my pieces.
I have found new material after my father. He saved a lot from his workplace at Strömbergshyttan, and I'm about to go through this now. Among others there are a photo of this vase, together with two other models I know is Nylunds. So I think B963 is a Gunnar Nylund model. My intuition also says it is a Nylund vase.
Thanks so much rebessin! I am thrilled to hear your opinion and of these developments.
Many thanks TONINO!
Many thanks SEAN & GILLIAN !!! !!!! !!!
Many thanks HO2CULTCHA & AURA !!! !!!! !!!