Thanks to all the price lists that began to be printed in the 1830s, we can now, centuries later, trace the development of the Swedish glass industry. The emerging industrialism of the 19th century brought with it a product range vastly different from before, with new items produced on an unprecedented scale. Paradoxically, it was after the industrial revolution fundamentally changed glass production that the artisanal art glass truly flourished. It first happened on the continent, with shimmering, organic creations in Art Nouveau. But afterward—amidst all the more beautiful everyday objects—it was to Sweden that the international audience turned its eyes. Stunning pieces from the Kingdom of Crystal left the world breathless.
Thanks to Crafoord Auktioner Lund, we can now enjoy some of these masterpieces. In a collection of 20 selected pieces, we get a taste of what could be achieved in Orrefors and Kosta. Edward Hald offers engraved finesse, Sven Palmqvist showcases his Ravenna windows, and Ingeborg Lundin is represented by a couple of her carefully encapsulated faces. The oldest in the collection is Heinrich Wollman's grape vase, with the pale Jugend tones so typical for Sweden. The youngest is Astrid Gate’s overlay glass dream from 1998, whose design closes the art glass circle in Lund.
