Finlandia-Vase

Artist Timo Sarpaneva (Finnish, 1926-2006)

Date1969

Dimensions11 in. (27.9 cm)

Mediumlead glass

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Mr. Harvey L. Reid

Object number

1970.38

Not on View

DescriptionSmoked, blown in a charred wood mold.

Label TextThroughout his career as a designer at Finland’s prominent glass manufacturer, Iittala Glassworks, Timo Sarpaneva was inspired by the rugged Finnish landscape and its extreme weather conditions. His designs brought nature into the glass industry with his inventions of carved and charred wooden moulds. Finlandia Vase is from a series known as the “Finlandia Sculptures” in which glass was blown into wooden molds that left an impression of scored bark on the glass, an innovative technique at the time that resulted in every piece having a unique surface pattern.