THE ITEM
This beautifully warm work of handmade Swedish art glass is by Bertil Vallien (b. 1938 - ), celebrated glass artist, sculptor, ceramist and designer.
This piece is a miniature from the collectable 'Antikva' series from the 'Artist Collection'. The Artist Collection concept was introduced by Vallien to give glass artists the freedom for personal, creative expression and to remove the 'mass produced' feeling. Pieces are limited edition studio works, individual to the artist that created them.
The body of the bowl is crafted from a warm, golden yellow frit glass. The frit glass technique merges fragments of coloured glass with clear glass to create the closely freckled effect, similar to the drifting within a snow-globe. The rim of the bowl is made of cornflower blue frit glass, with the frits of blue being elongated to create a streaked effect. The piece is finished with a ring of clear glass for the foot, which lightly elevates it.
CONDITION
Excellent, no chips, cracks or repairs, please do see photos as part of the condition report. The underside of the base on both pieces is engraved with 'BODA, ARTIST COL, B VALLIEN, 51834' The bowl is also labelled with the 'ARTIST, BODA COLLECTION' label.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 2.4" / 6 cm x c. 4" / 10.2 cm rim diameter. Base diameter: c. 1.9" / 4.8 cm. Unpackaged weight: c. 0.3 kg / 298 g
NOTES
Glass will be securely packaged and shipping will be insured. Shipping will be combined for multiple items.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Born 1938, Bertil Vallien was only 15 when he left home, drawn by the allure of the big city. After a series of occasional jobs, as a window-dresser at one of the main department stores in Stockholm, and as an apprentice in his father's decorating firm, Vallien would eventually decide to become an artist which would lead him into the world of ceramics. The guidance he received in his early career included that of Stig Lindberg - one of Sweden's foremost designers of ceramic art and one of the leading designers for Rörstrand in the 1970's.
A demonstration of Vallien's sand casting process: https://youtu.be/hjW7qoLvwYw
Today, Vallien is one of the most well-known representatives of 20th century Swedish ceramic and art glass design and is represented at the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design as well as abroad in the Everson Museum of Art of New York.
Valiien's works have only become more collectable over the years with sculptures from his Head and Journey (Boat) series fetching up to $20,000 USD.