Posted 12 years ago
rebessin
(116 items)
A series of blue glass. Design: Bertil Vallien for Boda-Åfors about 1965 (produced on Åfors glassworks). The series included for example jars with lids, candy boxes with removable cork bottom, bottles, vases and bowls. What is significant for this series is the beautiful blue hue and also the organic shape. The parallel process of pottery making are clearly reminded, especially in the jars with lids. They have details similar to the wave pattern Vallien used in his unique ceramic sculptures.
Picture 1:
Bottle/vase 20,5 x 11,5 cm.
Decanter 23,5 x 10,5 cm.
Jug with handle 20,5 x 13 cm.
Picture 2:
Jar/urn with lid 20,5 x 13,5 cm.
Candlestick 19,5 x 13,5 cm.
Vase 17,5 x 13 cm.
Picture 3:
Vase 28 x 19,5 cm.
Vase 20 x 16 cm.
Picture 4:
Bowl 7 x 12,5 cm.
Jar/bowl 5 x 9 cm.
Jar/bowl 6 x 8,5 cm.
Jar/bowl 9 x 12,5 cm.
Today both Boda and Åfors glassworks has closed down. Åfors as late as spring 2012. The owner New Wave Group will reduce the Orrefors-Kosta/Boda koncern to only about 100 emploeyed, all now in their Kosta unit. The good news however, came yesterday. They continue production at Orrefors Glassworks for the summer, this because there are willing buyers of the Orrefors unit. In order not to complicate the beginning of a possible future buyers continues production at the factory. Perhaps glass manufacturing still be rescued by the so venerable Orrefors Glassworks? However, without Orrefors brand and with other designers.
But I am very sorry couse Åfors glassworks was forced to close, and that none wanted to take over. It had a unique glassware and art glass tradition with the production of both Bertil and Ulrica Hydman/Valliens glass.
Have Bertil and Ulrica retired?
Tanks bellin! And vetraio, no they still do at least their art glass in Kosta. If they design new glassware (like the blue series) I don't know? Another thing to mention is, that Orrefors-Kosta/Boda next year will make 70% of their glass outside Sweden. Today they produce 20% in other contries. Other glassworks, like Målerås and Skruf, don't like this. They have 100% production in their factorys here, and think that Orrefors-Kosta/Bodas outsourcing will cast suspicion even to their products as non-Swedish manufactured.
The finnish glasswork Ittala, I think, do not produce any of their products in Finland. 100% comes from other counties what I have Heard..
Nice to see so many of Vallien's blue objects gathered! I adore his Blue series! Your pictures show very well how close this part of his glassworks was to his works as a sculptor. I always find these correlations so thrilling!
That the Swedish tradition of glassfactories seems to take a not so good direction is terrible! It is part of the cultural heritage and something the country can be enormously proud of. This outsourcing of production is really a bad effect of globalization because it destroys so many well established manufactures, factories and - what is most important - all the knowledge and the skills of people who learnt these skills from elder professionals and kept them alive by passing them on to younger generations... This treasure of knowledge will be irrecoverably lost.
i totally agree with designqvst he is spot on, i hope someday he/she will come up with a nice posting because he/she seems to know quite a bit and has good taste (refer to designqvst comments) but no postings,come on designqvst please surprise us!!! beautifol set of forms together!!!,(sorry for drifting off)
Thanks designqvist and artislove! I agree, the knowledge will be irrecoverably lost. But we hope that the most handicraft production could stay in Sweden, and only the more mechanaized production wilo be outsourced.
Yes rebessin, let's hope so!
@ artislove: Thanks for your words! You are right, I do have good taste :-) But I don't feel I should post here as I am not merely a collector but a trader, running a small shop in Vienna called designqvist where I am selling vintage design from the Scandinavian Mid-Century. Glass is one of my passions and I write quite a lot about it so I will be pleased if you visit my blog http://www.designqvist.at. Running this blog beside my shop is engageing me quite a lot, so it's a question of time for me, too. And as I said, I think collectors weekly should remain a site for collectors and not become too commercial.
What I very much enjoy about CW is reading and taking part in the discussions! So I hope you don't mind if I continue doing so ;-)
(Sorry for this not being related to your inspiring posting, rebessin!)
Great information rebessin! Thank you for posting!!!
Oh oh oh ooooooohhhh! I'm wordless! I love those jug and decanter!
A supperb set
I don't mind designqvist! And thanks charcoal, austro and vlkma!
I envy you above all the objects in the second picture which I didn't know. I love the orientalism in his forms, and I still have to say that I nearly prefer Vallien's early to his later works. I presented some examples of the blue series in this post:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/71317-bertil-vallien-bl-serien-blue-serie
By the way: I once saw the decanter in the middle of your first picture in a mustard yellow colour: rebessin, do you know if the entire series was produced in yellow too, or for that sake, in other colours? And I think I've seen the godisgömma / candy box in clear glass as well. What can you tell us about the colours? Still, of all imaginable colours I think I'd anyway prefer this lovely blue. It works so well with all the different shapes!
I have also seen the decanter (and some other items) in differnt color. And in clear crystal as you say. Wich colors they were produced in, and if all items was made in the other colors, I don't know. It can be athing to investigate in the future.
Magnificent, splendid!!! How shall I live without these? Ah!