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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Scandinavian Glass => Topic started by: horochar on April 11, 2006, 12:35:52 PM
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I own this lovely "bubble glass" or "soda glass" vase, which I take to be Scandinavian. The black dots are inclusions (I believe sand). My thinking is that it is an Eric Hoglund Boda piece from the 1950s/1960s, however the piece is unsigned and I haven't seen the same form in my pathetic library of reference books. Was all of Hoglund's work from this period signed, or just most of it? Is my attribution correct? If not, who are the most likely candiates.
Thanks!
Charles.
Mod: Photo's uploaded to GlassGallery:
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8248
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8247
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-8246
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Half of it was signed, the other half is guesswork. I'd say the strong shape, colour and finish point to Höglund, but you cannot be certain.
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Looks like it could be the result of one of his experiments with potatos !
The black bits would then be un-vaporized potato truned to carbon.
Just a guess based on what I know of his unorthodox methods.
Excellent piece.
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Potato glass? Now I've heard it all!!! Anyhow, I'm nuts about almost all of Hoglund's work, and it's thrilling to know that the consensus view on this one leans towards Hoglund.
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In Sweden's Boda Glass Works, Eric Hoglund, as a young art school graduate, shook up the field with wild experiments, at one time tossing potatoes into molten glass just to see what would happen.
Scandinavian Glass: Creative Energies by William L. Geary
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The story about the potatoes is true. My book explores the question asked by artists coming to a glass factory for the first time "What if we did this or what if we tried that? From this came all sorts of new techniques.
Erik along with other Scandinavian glass artists were great experimentors throwing potatoes, wood chips, and metal into the glass mass to see what would happen.
Vicke Lindstrand used metal chips to create designs in glass while at Orrefors and needless to say Edvin Öhrström worked the arial technique to perfection.
The problems I have with this piece are two fold: no signature and it was
my understanding they signed all of Eriks work and two the form does not look right to me.
Just some thoughts.
Bill Geary
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Thanks for the interesting posts. I'll need to qualify my Hoglund attribution, and hit the books. Of course, all this leaves me wondering, "If not Hoglund, then who?" The base treatment looks so much like mid-century Scandinavian factory glass (not studio, U.S. or Italian). I understand that Kaj Franck also used bubble technique in his work for a time, but one normally sees signatures on his stuff, too. Potato remnants or not, the inclusions (sand?) should lend a clue as to the maker. Finally, I should mention, for what it's worth, that the piece appears not to be leaded glass; not heavy.
Charles.
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Just to underline that not all Höglund is signed, here is my personal collection of Höglund vases. The blue one with the folded rim is a famous early one, and should be seen next to the brown one with the folded rim.
Then the orange pieces are identical in colour and finish, yet one is signed and the other is not. From this series I have also found three more pieces in a Reykjavik antique store, one signed, 2 unsigned.
As you can see, the language of form and colour is very strong in all these pieces.
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/thumbnails.php?album=116
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Thanks for the additional information about Erik Hoglund's glass.
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Charles
Have a look at the Hoglund's shown at www.glas-design.nl/
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Striking similarity to the piece discussed in this topic: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,3649.0.html
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The shape is very like a vase that Bengt Orup designed for Johansfors (Smoke and Ice p. 52). I've got a vase with the same technique, which has air bubbles and black metallic particles. However, the colour is wrong and the bubbles are smaller than in your vase.
David
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Whitefriars also experimented with potatoes in the mix The Country Seat has a bowl in their exhibition made in this manner it looks a bit like pulegoso in a milky white with coloured swirls it is well worth seeing its a fabulous piece,the selling exhibition ends on 8 dec dont miss it.JPH.
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I have the Smoke & Ice book, and I'm inclined to say that mine is Hoglund, based on form and technique, except the lack of signature is troubling. I think his pieces are always signed.
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No they're not always signed - Ivo has stated this already earlier up in the thread. I've owned several different pieces of his work but interestingly I once had two identical Hoglund bowls - one was signed but the other wasn't. Annoyingly, the photographs are on my previous hard-drive which conked out a year or so ago.
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Magnor ? see items 1-3.
http://www.wendelboe.no/kunst/utstillinger/2008/magnor/index.php
although the colour is slightly different, the bubbles and black bits look identical
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Putting potatos in a glass pot is an old and traditional method. Preferably they should be as green as possible ( ie exposed to the light). It is believed that a chemical called glycoalkaloids is released which helps the "boil" - highly technical term this! - and the glass froths up and after an hour or two clarifies itself, of excess tiny seed and bubble. More modern glassmakers did not let it settle to experiment on the effects this produced!
We prefer to use branches of green bark to stir up the boil and allow as much gas to come to the surface and exit from the molten glass. Of course if you want bubbles in glass.....
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The first piece in this thread is with out doubt NOT designed by Erik Hoglund.
Magnor have done pieces like this, but my guess is Danish Holmegaard.
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The vase is from Björkshult glassmill that was active from 1898 to 1978. This piece is most likely from the mid sixties and the designer is probably Hans-Christian Wagner.
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WHOA, talking about obscure! What is the basis for this attribution?
Thanks.
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The company was a topic of a previous thread. I've never seen, or at least I have never known I have seen, any of their glass, though.Anybody have any pics?
Later note: googling the name gave me some glasses with label for sale right now on eBay. I had actually seen them before but the name didn't stick. Something to do with senility, I suppose. The eBay reference is 200235453580.
The thread is
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?topic=241.0
David
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I used to collect Björkshult glass and seen the vase labelled. It's also very typical for Björkshult production.
Some pics of Björkshult pieces
(http://www.precisensan.com/antikforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1675&stc=1&d=1141385290)
(http://www.precisensan.com/antikforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5669&stc=1&d=1165075227)
(http://www.precisensan.com/antikforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19732&stc=1&d=1206729973)
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and another one