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Author Topic: Orrefors Guest Artist?  (Read 2091 times)

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Offline KatW

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Orrefors Guest Artist?
« on: August 09, 2014, 06:05:32 PM »
Hello -
Awhile back I acquired a nice Orrefors vase but to date am unable to nail down the artist, etc.

The inscription on bottom appears to read:
Fa. V. Johansson Orrefors 1135.Hj (or possibly 1735.Hj) -

I understand that the 'Fa.' stands for 'firm' (as in company) in Swedish.
I find there are a few artists Johansson associated with Orrefors, but can find no 'V' Johansson.
One posting suggested that the 'Fa. (name) Orrefors' etching indicates a guest artist - and a likely limited edition?

Has anyone any information on V. Johansson? Any other ideas on the inscription? Ever seen this vase?
Photos attached. Thanks a million!
Kat

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Offline kisslikeether

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2014, 08:31:31 AM »
It should read FA W Johansson who was a glass engraver & reseller based in the town of Orrefors. So the piece is not necessarily from the Orrefors factory.

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Offline KatW

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2014, 10:49:02 PM »
It should read FA W Johansson who was a glass engraver & reseller based in the town of Orrefors. So the piece is not necessarily from the Orrefors factory.

I came across info on W. Johansson - but the letter is very clearly a V. and not a W.  Also the vase's pattern number 1135 (or possibly 1735) followed by .Hj indicate Orrefors factory. Engraver Hj I have learned is Hjerton Rydh, who worked at Orrefors from 1924-1939...so if the pattern number is 1135 it was designed in 1931 and if it is 1735 it was designed in 1937.

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Offline langhaugh

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2014, 06:42:15 AM »
Hi,

The reply from Kisslikeether is correct. There have been other threads on this topic if you look them up. This piece is post WWII. Just to make sure, I checked the production catalogues from Orrefors and this isn't in there.

David
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Offline KatW

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2014, 02:22:28 PM »
Hi,

The reply from Kisslikeether is correct. There have been other threads on this topic if you look them up. This piece is post WWII. Just to make sure, I checked the production catalogues from Orrefors and this isn't in there.

David
Thanks a million, David - I was hoping that someone with access to Orrefors catalogs would look them up. I really appreciate your time and effort - thanks so much for the help.
Kathy

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Offline glass_ssalg

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2014, 01:05:45 PM »
this has nothing to do with Orrefors glassworks

you can read about Walter Johansson here:
reply #22
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?topic=50566.20

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Offline KatW

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2014, 03:05:45 PM »
this has nothing to do with Orrefors glassworks

you can read about Walter Johansson here:
reply #22
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?topic=50566.20

Thank you - but I am still confused, because the initial on my vase is clearly a 'V' and not a 'W'...so while I accept this vase likely did not come from the Orrefors factory, I will still hope to track down the pattern number (it's either 1135 or 1735) and the engraver, initials Hj (could be Hjerton Rydh? or someone else?)

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Offline langhaugh

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2014, 12:06:28 AM »
It is a puzzling piece.  I should tell you that the production catalogues don't contain a photo of either model 1135 or 1735. However, not all designs models made it to production even when assigned a number. The subject matter on this vase is very different from the subject matter on vases in either 1931 or 1937. 1135 is very close to the design number for a Pearl Diver vase, for example. Also, the quality of the engraving is significantly below what I would expect from pre WWII Orrefors.

Unfortunately, in this case I would start from the assumption that the engraver was a little compromised ethically. He clearly offered his goods hoping that buyers would think that they were buying pieces from Orrefors, the manufacturer, not the town. Putting a number on it seems to add to that, as does adding the initials of an engraver who stopped working at Orrefors in 1939, unless he was working for Johansson in the 60's.  Most tellingly,  there was no V Johansson designing for Orrefors in the 30's. All design numbers from the 30's would be preceded by an "L" for LIndstrand, "G" for Gate, "H" for Hald, "N" for Landberg, or "O" for Ohstrom  I have a few books on Orrefors, including the design catalogues, and they all make that clear. I suspect the "V" will remain a mystery.

I did do an Internet search for Hjerton Rydh, and I think these two links show the quality of his work.

http://www.artnet.com/artists/vicke-lindstrand/vase-shark-slayer-engraved-by-hjerton-rydh-3Vp6jEkHBj9GNKFIs3MgUw2

http://www.auctions-fischer.de/kataloge/online-kataloge/193-i-europaeisches-glas-und-studioglas-sowie-die-studioglassammlung-kirchhoff.html?kategorie=21&artikel=1569&cHash=534e8f5efa


David
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Offline KatW

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2014, 03:05:46 AM »
It is a puzzling piece....   ....I suspect the "V" will remain a mystery....

David

Thank you very much, David - this information is super-helpful. I have a lot to learn and I really appreciate hearing from someone experienced and the chronology of your thinking on this.

Thanks so much for sharing -
Kathy

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Offline rocco

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Re: Orrefors Guest Artist?
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2014, 06:28:23 PM »
I own a vase signed "W. Johanson Orrefors..." for a long time, and read the threads about the hairdresser/engraver years ago.

The only thing I wonder about is who actually made my vase. Though it is quite a distinctive design, I have only seen one more in all these years (in black and white), and it had the same engraving.
So as this Mr. Johansson obiously didn't make the glass himself somebody else must have designed and produced it...

Thanks,
Michael


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