1960s Japanese Multiglass (FTG) Clear, Blue and Green Art Glass Baluster and Scroll Work Vase

This stunning work iconic to Troika Studio Pottery (est. 1962 cse. 1983) called the 'Anvil', brings with it the earthy vibes of British Cornish pottery and Modernist design influences. 

Beautifully Modern, the form, deeply incised Sgraffito decor, and glaze bear all of Troika's hallmarks of edgy, textured, and unconventional production techniques.  Avant-garde techniques included utilising sediment from the local tin mines, household emulsion paint and melted broken glass. The hallmarks of the founder's vision resulted in innovative and extraordinary works of art that were highly popular during their time and exceptionally collectable today. 

This exceptional piece is suitable for a standalone statement display or paired with other Modernist greats such as Peter Ellery for Tremaen, Barbara Hepworth, Marian Zawadski or Roger Veal for Tolcarne.   

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, damage, or repairs. There is very mild use wear that is most evident in the interior and movement marks on the underside of the base, please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the vase bears 'TROIKA CORNWALL' and 'LJ' for decorator Louise Jinks. 

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 8.5" / 21.5 cm x Width: c. 9" / 23 cm (across widest point). Depth c. 2.6" / 6.5 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 1.6 kg / 1,590 g

A BIT OF HISTORY
Founded in 1962 by Lesley Illsley, Jan Thompson and Benny Sirota who each contributed £1,000 to purchase the Powell and Wells Pottery at Wheel Dream, St Ives. They bought the pottery with a vision for distinctive, individualistic wares and were not afraid to experiment with unconventional production ideas, methods and materials. 

They chose the name Troika (meaning a Russian sleigh drawn by three horses) for its sharp, angular sound that hinted at the sharp, angular forms they had in mind for production. Fantastic designs were produced including Cycladic masks with Aztec-esque decor and heavily textured monolithic wares that would go on to become a trademark. 

In 1968 Troika ware was sold by Heals and Liberty in London during the peak of the pottery thriving. This continued into 1970 when they left the Wheel Dream for larger premises in Fradgan Place, Newlyn, with a staff of 15.

It was in the mid-1970s that changing public taste, declining tourism, and economic strife saw the first strains to the pottery and it would be 1983 before Troika would finally wound up in December 1983.

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured.
Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

This exemplary work of Modernist ceramic artistry is from the rare-to-market and highly sought-after Montblanc series designed by Kurt Tschörner for the internationally renowned West German pottery Ruscha. Tschörner was a prolific designer who worked for Ruscha from 1953 to 1974. This Montblanc series, and indeed, this vase stands out with its bold geometric, incised décor in the beautifully contrasting matte black and white gloss glaze. A statement piece that combines Modern boldness with classic elegance in remarkable condition makes this difficult-to-refuse work of ceramic art.

The combination of this work's form, condition, size, and palette makes it an even rarer find considering the scarcity of Montblanc pieces. 

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks, or repairs. There is negligible surface wear and movement marks on the underside of the base that is commensurable with the age of the piece - please see photos as part of the condition report. The underside of the base is signed with 'Ruscha, Montblanc 861R'. 

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 12.6" / 32 cm (from base to rim) x c. 4.6" / 11.7 cm in width (across widest point). Base measurements: c. 3.1" / 8 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 1.0 kg / 990 g

A BIT OF HISTORY
Ruscha (established 1906 - 1996) Originally founded in Rheinbach by Georg Schardt, it was known as Klein & Schardt until 1948. Rudolf Schardt would take over the company and rename it to Ruscha, the name created from the first letters of his fore and surname. As Ruscha entered the ceramics boom in the 1950s, the pottery was joined by art pottery director Cili Wörsdörfer who made her handpainted designs for series such as Milano and Zebra wildly popular. Otto Gerharz was the production director, designing innovative glazes such as Vulkano. 

Ruscha would later add to its success with Kurt Tschörner who designed whimsical and daring forms such as the 313 jug that became sought-after hits. 

Other greats who joined Ruscha included Ernst Borens, Hans Welling and Adele Bolz. Unfortunately, the pottery's success came to an end in the 1990s, when it finally closed its doors in 1996, selling its name and many designs to Scheurich who produced vintage-inspired designs under the 'Ruscha Art' brand. 

This awesome work of Mid-Century Modern design is by Ingrid Atterberg, (b. 1920 - d. 2008) a celebrated epitome for illustrious 20th-century Swedish ceramic design. Atterberg was also a leading designer for Upsala Ekeby for whom she designed this vase. 

This hand-thrown and the hand-glazed piece comes from Atterberg's Chamotte series designed in 1957, the series would go on to be very well known during this time. The series was comprised of 13 earthenware bowls and vases characterised by raw textured earthenware juxtaposing the gloss and matte glaze.

This particular piece is beautifully rounded, an excellent canvas for the hand-glazed decor. The colour palette is composed predominantly of Powdered Turquoise and Mint green blended with a muted Electric blue. The base glaze is overlaid with bold geometric accents in Jet black. A Modernist design piece that is classic of its time yet also contemporarily timeless.  

CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs. There is mild wear to the underside of the vase that is commensurable with the age of the piece. Please refer to the photographs as they form part of the condition report. The underside is inscribed and stamped with 'UE, 2311 and Atterberg's 'Abg' initials.

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 5.3" / 13.5 cm tall (from base to rim) x c. 1.4" / 3.5 cm rim diameter. Diameter: c. 4.6" /  11.7 cm (across widest point. Base diameter: c. 2.6" / 6.5 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.6 kg / 620 g

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Ingrid Magdalena Atterberg-Göransson (b. 1920 - d. 2008) was a celebrated epitome of illustrious Swedish ceramic design of the 20th century and a leading designer for Upsala Ekeby in the 1950s and 1960s. Atterberg is represented at the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design.

In 1944, she was employed at Upsala Ekeby, where appreciation for her works as a ceramicist continued to grow over the years. She was known for using 'manganese clay' in the 1940s and chamotte in the 1950s, and successfully developed her own glazes. In the late 1940s, her own collection called "Ekeby Verkstad" was born with a numbered series that began at 100.

During her career, Atterberg had several exhibitions and received a gold medal for her work in Italy as well as completing a number of public commissions. 

This elegant and subtly exquisite handpainted work of late-Art Deco design is by Enoch Boulton for the British Pottery Crown Devon. The abstract baluster form is an excellent canvas for the semi-matt, satin glaze décor. The base glaze is a tone of Pale Jade green, applied in the layered, overlapping scale manner that is characteristic of the Mattajade pieces.

The handpainted featured decor is that of the Fairyland series, also sometimes known as the 'Fairycastle' series that was designed by Boulton. Mattajade Fairyland was a popular series during its time and the rarity of finding it now has since made it highly collectable now. The scenelets are of charming turreted buildings nestled in the fantastical fauna in tones of Verdigris green, Azure blue, Jet black, Coquelicot orange and yellow - all of which wake up the islands that rest on the stylized waves. 

The overall piece is finished with the hand-painted flora and fauna border which wraps around the external rim. The border is an echo of the main flora, with gold-edged black leaf clusters graduating into a band of Cerulean blue and Coquelicot yellow, finished with dotted blooms in orange and Verdigris. 

Timeless in style and when combined with the featured design; the size and overall condition of this piece makes this an exceptionally rare find. 

CONDITION
Excellent. There are no chips or repairs. There is mild surface wear to the gold and hand-painted décor and movement marks on the underside of the base that is commensurate with the age of the piece. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the base bears Crown Devon's stamp and the model number '2406'.

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 7.4" / 18.7 cm (from base to rim) x c. 3.9" / 10 cm diameter (across widest point). Depth: c. " 7.4 / 18.7 cm. Base diameter: c. 2.9" / 7 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.5 kg / 510 g

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items. 

A BIT OF HISTORY
Enoch Boulton (b. - d. unknown) 
Little is known about the early years of the unsung hero that was Enoch Boulton, who has only now started to come into recognition for his contribution towards art deco design. Many accounts of his history begins with his apprentice years at the Grimwades factory and studying at the Burslem school of Art. Enoch, affectionately known as Ernie began to rise to significant fame when he became design chief in the early 1920s for Carlton Ware. A highly accomplished painter, Boulton is said to have created many of Carlton’s most collectible lines of the 1920s. The Tutankhamen ware is but one of his more notable contributions. The V & A Museum lauded Boulton's Carlton Ware Jazz patterns as the quintessence of British Art Deco design. The pattern 3352 is represented in the museum’s pottery collection and is dated by the museum as c1921-30.

Despite his success at Carlton, Boulton was said to have been lured to Crown Devon Fieldings in the late 1920s, and with him at the helm as design chief, designs were a harmonious yet contrarian merging of modernism with Sybaritic exuberance. Series after popular series of exquisiite were produced including Orient, Mattajade, Amazine and Mattitia adorning a myriad of geometric forms including ribbed bodies and mouldings that gave an asymmetrical look. 

Crown Devon Fieldings (1870 - 1982) The pottery was founded in 1870 by Simon Fieldings in Stoke on Trent but it would be 10 years later before they began to produce Majolica style pottery that was popular during the 1880s. Their product range began to expand in the 1890s, working with British United Clock company and they would continue to expand their product range as popularity flourished after successful world trade fairs in the 1900s. They sustained their success for over a century before sadly closing in 1982 at the time of the recession.

This vibrant handblown work of mid-century Japanese 'Fazzoletto' art glass is by Iwatsu Hineri glassworks. Glass collectors familiar with the Murano technique Fazzoletto (translation 'handkerchief) will know that this is the art of crafting glass to mimic the elegant flowing folds of fabric.

The graceful, undulating folds of this piece can be likened to the Hineri interpretation of the Fazzoletto technique, just as the capturing of the Apricot, Scarlet Red and Violet swirl gloriously from the centre within the clear cased triangular base is a rival to the Murano Sommerso ['submerged'] technique. The interior of the vase enables a view of the swirling colours as they whirl outwards into varying intensities of colour in the folds and lobes of the vase.

Amongst collectors, the skill and quality applied in creating Japanese art glass is very much known to rival its Western counterparts and can often be more difficult to find.

CONDITION
Excellent. There are faint movement marks that are on the underside of the base. All wear is commensurable with age. Please refer to photos as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the base has a concave pontil that is a known finishing touch of Iwatsu.

MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 11.8" / 30 cm (base to rim). Width: c. 5.6" / 14.1 cm (across widest points). Base measurements: c. 3.7" / 9.5 cm x c. 3.5" / 9 cm x c. 3.5" / 8.8 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 1.6 kg / 1,620 g

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Iwatsu Glassworks
Unfortunately, little is known about Iwatsu despite being one of the largest glassmakers in Japan, the commonly cited and understood reason is due to language barriers. However, Iwatsu is deemed to have produced art glass under the Hineri and Art Glass labels before closing in the 1990s. Iwatsu were known to have been based in Osaka in Japan, producing colourful art glass during the 1970s. The quality and style of their work rivalled and is often mistaken for, Italian Murano glass and Czech glass from the same period.

This magnificently hand-built and illustrated work of art ceramic is by celebrated Danish illustrator and glass, silver, textiles, ceramics designer Bjorn Wiinblad (b. 1918 - d. 2006). This particular piece was created for the prestigious Illums Bolighus [Denmark's first concept department store] 1 year after Wiinblad became the first artist to exhibit there. 

The form of this piece is the bust of Titania, Queen of Fairies from the Midsummer Night's Dream series.  Highly romantic, Wiinblad applied his exceptional creativity and imagination to tactile details beyond facial anatomy. Individual rosettes and leaves are elegantly placed to bring to life Titania's high floral crown with an exquisitely curved tapering that creates a leaf shape of its own for the rim of the vase.  

Handpainted onto the form is the illustrated design, seamlessly applied to the crown and the upper torso, creating the visual effect that blurs the separation between flora and foliage and Titania herself. 

The combination of the statement size, palette, and excellent condition of this piece makes it a noteworthy find of Wiinblad's early work. 

CONDITION
Excellent. There is negligible use wear, most evident in the form of movement marks on the underside of the vase and mild crazing to the handpainted glaze all over that are commensurable with the age of the piece. The underside bears Wiinblad's 'BW' monogram, the 'V21' model number and '63' denoting the year of production. The underside also bears the original Illums Bolighus label. 

MEASUREMENTS
Height c. 14.8" / 37.7 cm (from base to rim) x width c. 6.5" / 16.5 cm (across widest point). Depth: c. 5.5" / 14 cm (shallowest). Base: c. 3.5" / 9 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 1.5 kg / 1,490 g

NOTES
Vase will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.

A BIT OF HISTORY
Bjorn Wiinblad (b. 1918 - d. 2006) Born in 1918 in Copenhagen, Bjorn Wiinblad began his training and path to success in 1935. Wiinblad sought the path to his first passion of art and enrolled in graphic school at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, debuting in 1945 with an extensive exhibition in Palægade, Copenhagen. He met and became firm friends with Jacob E. Bang around this time, who engaged him to work for Nymølle Pottery.

From the beginnings at Nymolle, Wiinblad received multiple commissions, from designing textile and embroidery patterns to drawing posters, book, and magazine illustrations. Wiinblad drew for the United Nations in Paris and designed costumes and stages for several theatrical performances. His fame grew in Denmark but soon would extend to Norway and Sweden and in 1950 his ceramics were exhibited at Bonnier's in New York, which specialised in Scandinavian design.

Wiinblad's recognition and acclaim would continue to grow, bringing him a silver medal at the first international ceramics festival in 1955 in Cannes, France, and appointment as artistic director for Rosenthal in 1960. During the 1960s, Wiinblad would become the owner of a number of ceramic studios including Vaerksted, Nymolle, and Det Blaa Hus. He would make Det Blaa Hus his workshop and home until his death in 2006.

Wiinblad's successes did not stop in the Sixties, his continued achievements and international success were extensively documented and celebrated: https://www.rosendahl.com/en/intl/bjoern-wiinblad/stories/about-bjorn-wiinblad