Antikva Vintage Swedish Art Glass Vase

The vintage Swedish Kosta Boda vase in hand-blown art glass is a creation by Bertil Vallien (born 1938), an internationally renowned Swedish glass artist, sculptor, ceramist, and designer. This piece is part of the collectible Antikva series, designed in 1977 and included in the Artist Collection. The Artist Collection concept was introduced by Vallien to give glass artists the freedom for personal and creative expression, moving away from the feeling of mass production. Each piece is a limited-edition studio work, unique to the artist who made it. The pumpkin bottle-shaped vase (model 48118) is made of overlay glass, blown at the base with a blend of violet and amethyst colors with sapphire blue speckles. The graduated neck in overlay glass is streaked blue, adding elegance and depth to the simple form. The overlay glass technique fuses fragments of colored glass into transparent glass to create a densely mottled effect, reminiscent of patterns inside a snow globe. Those familiar with the hand-blowing or hot-working glass process know that glass must reach 1,320 °C (2,400 °F) to melt, and even the working temperature is 1,090 °C (2,000 °F). Just this knowledge is enough to appreciate the care, effort, and skill required to create these miniature glass artworks. Dimensions: H 6.5 x 5 cm diameter.