Orkidea (Orchid)

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Orkidea (Orchid)

Designer Timo Sarpaneva (Finnish, 1926-2006)

Manufacturer Iittala Glassworks (Finnish)

Date1954

DimensionsOverall: 17 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (44.4 x 13.9 cm)

MediumColorless glass, steam-blown, polished

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the bequest of Margaret E. Crowe in memory of her parents Jenny Lind and John George Eirich

Object number

2001.24

Not on View

DescriptionSteam-blown and polished. Elongated ovoid with open bubble mid-center of form

Label TextThis vase was designed in 1953 by Timo Sarpaneva in collaboration with the master craftsmen at Karhula-Iittala Glassworks. Sarpaneva used a steam-blowing technique in which a water-soaked stick is inserted into a hot gather of glass, the steam forming an expanding bubble. The powerfully sculptural piece with its asymmetrical form captures the interest in biomorphism—shapes that seem organic—that marked the abstract art of the 1930s through the early 1950s. Orkidea won the 1954 Grand Prix at the Triennale di Milano (The Milan Triennial) and the “Most Beautiful Object of the Year” designation, awarded by House Beautiful magazine in 1954.Published ReferencesPrisant, Carol, Antiques Roadshow Collectibles: The Complete Guide to Collecting 20th-century Toys, Glassware..., New York, Workman, 2003, p. 101, repr.