The art of making glass has existed for several thousand years, but when you talk about art glass in particular, you don't get much further back than the end of the 19th century. Because it was in reaction to the industrial revolution that the pursuit of the handmade could thrive. The Frenchman Émile Gallé was one of those who put perfected a completely unique style of glass. The floral motifs were etched or engraved out of several layers of colored glass, the pieces were so elaborate that they didn’t have to be used for anything else than decorative purposes. Thus, art glass was born, glass that would be looked at but never used. In Sweden Gallé was a big inspiration, but the technique was taken a few steps further. A worked glass post was etched or engraved and covered with a thin casing of clear glass, then the blank was blown up and the decoration smoothed out. This innovative technique, which was invented by the glassblower Knut Bergqvist in 1916, came to be called the "Graal". The artists Simon Gate and Edward Hald were associated with Orrefors early on, designing glass with a more stylistic and playful eye than Gallé. When it was time for the Paris exhibition of 1925, Sweden finally became a name on the world map, when Orrefors claimed the Grand Prix for its elegantly engraved glass in, embodying the concept of 'Swedish Grace'. In addition to France and Sweden, Italy and Finland must also be mentioned as important glass producers. These countries have interpreted glass in completely different ways; Italy with a playful appetite for experimentation and Finland with a pure defined style. Crafoord Auktioner Stockholm has the great pleasure of presenting more than 160 numbers of art glass. Everything from Simon Gate’s engraved bowl from 1927, to Kaj Franck’s refined faceted "Prisma". From Vicke Lindstrand’s streamlined 1950s creations, to no less than five colorful glass birds by Alessandro Pianon.
