Posted 12 years ago
vetraio50
(756 items)
Marks on Orrefors can be a delight and they can be confusing too! Eye4beauty has had some questions about Orrefors signatures, so I thought I'd throw this vase into the argument. Its a vase that I found many moons ago on ebay. I really liked the engraving on the vase and saw that it related to other pieces by Palmqvist and Lindstrand's "Black Contour" series. The shape itself is very tactile and it fits nicely in the hand. It has a balance. The surface has been cut with these curved lines that follow the contour of the vase and add dimension to it. It reminds me of Constantin Brancusi's series of sculptures "Birds in Space".
There are two versions of this vase at modernistglass.com
"Engraving is not a simple skill. It requires artistic talent and lots and lots of practice. In terms of the time and skill put into the making of the glass, an engraved piece should generally be worth more than than an equivalent piece with no engraving. Of course, if the design is poor, the amount of work in making it is irrelevant.
Personally I find much of the Swedish engraved glass from the 20th century a little too kitsch - deer and kittens and horses and the like - and I think the market agrees with me. It therefore undervalues the genuinely good engraved designs like this. I do like this abstract Sven Palmqvist design. Mid-century chic."
http://www.modernistglass.com
They also mention that a larger vase has "a.s." after the design number. "In concentrating on the designers of glass it's easy to forget that the engravers and glassblowers are also artists. This piece has the code for the engraver (see the last photo). It's hard to read but it's probably "a.s." for Anders Svensson who was an engraver at Orrefors 1939-1981. It also has the code for the designer, Palmqvist (P). This piece is in the 1960 catalogue, Orrefors 28."
My vase is 20 cm or 7.9" tall .
I believe there are at least three different sizes and this is the middle version. Of course this one does not have the marks for Anders Svensson. Only by comparing with other pieces can you get any idea about the identity of the engraver. Access to catalogues would be a great help in identity as well.
So recently I ran into an ok piece that was signed "of". I didn't bite but wondered.
It was used a lot.
On glasses you see a "o" with a vertical slash - like the Greek letter "Phi".
Maybe it is still there?
Might be. Probably won't get there until Thursday. Sort of circled candle sticks. I thought they were something but wasn't overwhelmed. Not like my beautiful new Discus. Gosh I keep staring. It/they are so pretty.
Thanks for the intel V, good to know.
Hi Amy! I think the 3664 is the model number? Then a dot and 111. I'm not surprised that there are six different sizes. modernist glass has two:
http://www.modernistglass.com/glasspieces/view/2407/orrefors-pair-of-vases--1960-sven-palmqvist-copper-wheel-engraved-design
Both have P3664.68 and the "a.s.".
No idea! It can be so frustrating. I envy you those books!
There's another here in Sweden that is just as confusing.
http://pafemtevaningen.com/store/glass/palmqvist-orrefors-650-sek/
Many thanks eye4beauty, Amber, Amy and austro!
Thanks Amy! The modernistglass link above has the a.s. mark that they claim to be the engraver's mark. It is at the end of those marks. I'll take another better photo of my vase if you'd like it.
Thanks for that page too! I take it that those six numbers are the heights. Mine is the third one down the 200 mm. Perhaps the 111 is the number in the series? Note the modernist glass vases are a real pair then: they both have P3664.68.
Thanks eye4!
I agree with Scandi about picking up and picking up pieces. I pick up a shocking amount of Avon. Oh this looks cool...not. I have made and continue to make a ton of mistakes (witness comment number 2 here) but when I see something that I have learned about (my Orrefors discus) that I did not know about six months ago...happy dance. I find myself learning everyday, this site is awesome, and what more can I ask of myself? Continuous improvement ; ))))
Slow down! There are always mistakes made, we learn by them. I buy things with chips, because I know I will never see another again.
My loetz chine cornucopia is a case in point:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/19152-loetz-zephir-chine-cornucopia
My first post on CW!
How much did you pay for the lily bowl? If you bought it to sell then it was a mistake. It would be difficult to sell. But if you bought it for yourself then it was acheap way to learn about marks as I said and you love it. Your decision is validated by your feeling for it.
As far as the Lalique decanters: WOW!
Is this it? Them???
http://rlalique.com/rene-lalique-gouttes-d-eau-decanter-5577
I totally believe in trusting your eye. Train your eyes too! Books! Loking at shops. Feeling good things! Fairs! Libraries and the web. All of it!
I make mistakes all the time as my eyes are getting old and I don't trust my fingers enough and I rush too much, enthused by the emotion of the hunt, the moment
The "value" is problematic. If you spend thousands on an item you should tread carefully. If it's "hobby level " ..... stick to a budget! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. When I first got started I decided only to buy signed pieces and I still remember the ones that got away. Only recently I made a mistake not buying a vase that I will regret for years but it was just too damn big!
I hope all of this makes some sense and is not negative. My comment about the lily vase was not meant to be negative. Personally I find chips hard to live with. The sight of an open cupboard disturbs my sense of order. Dumb? It's just me!
Many thanks Hedge and miKKo too!
Morning Sean!
Many thanks inky!
Many thanks czechman!
Many thanks Marty!
Smoke & Ice pg 99 list this vase (1955-1960) & the signatures as Of P3664.C## I'm wondering if the 3 digit number could indicate later production as found on Simon Gate's 1000 windows.
Thanks for that kisslikeether!
Can you tell me what is meant by C##?
Scaninavianpieces mentioned the idea of Colour.
Many thanks Amber!
## indicating a number following the C. which I'm guessing would indicate the model size
11 doesn't refer to number of colour variations available just to clear crystal.
Many thanks SEAN 'n GUILLAUME too!
your very welcome Kevin!!
Hi I see this post is from quite a while ago, but I come across a Scandinavian Vase but it only has numbers not really a signature. I'll post it on show and tell. You look to have some knowledge in these Vases and I was wondering if you had any ideas on where this one originated from.
Any help would be greatly appreciated :) thanks