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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Scandinavian Glass => Topic started by: Pinkspoons on October 30, 2005, 05:43:59 PM

Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on October 30, 2005, 05:43:59 PM
I purchased a gorgeous deep purple jug and 6 matching glasses today with no markings - just bought, really, to satiate my glass jug obsession - and because it's a very pretty set. When I got them home, however, I found the glue traces of a label shaped like a triangle with rounded corners on the jug and some of the glasses, around 1.5cm length on each side - was just wondering if the design of the set and the style of label rang any bells with anyone?

Many thanks!
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Max on October 30, 2005, 06:19:27 PM
I'm thinking maybe G Hardy, who I think imported Aseda - you'll have to check that.  I'll see if I can get a pic of the sticker somewhere...

Edit:  Pic of sticker:   http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7345553969&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT


I edited this three times!   :shock:  Must be a record.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on October 30, 2005, 06:46:41 PM
I tried photographing the residue as best I could, but it didn't show very well, so I outlined the shape in black. Unfortunately it doesn't look like a G. Hardy one.

(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/pinkspoons/amethyst-water-set-sticker.jpg)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on October 31, 2005, 11:20:41 PM
Finally got around to taking a properly lit photograph!

Does it help and poke anyone in the memory department?  :lol:

(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/pinkspoons/waterset.jpg)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 01, 2005, 09:29:36 AM
Pinkspoons,
A very nice set. At one stage Riihimäki had a clear triangular label, with curved corners. The text read Riihimäki / Suomi / Finland. Unfortunately, I don't have one I can photograph. Maybe someone else will, and could measure it for you.

The shape of the glasses looks kind of a possibility too. OK that's just speculation - and I'm probably hideously wrong.  :oops:  :oops:  :oops:

The only other triangular label that springs to mind is Süssmuth, but the corners are sharp & the set doesn't look typical of their production. I'll post a pic when my camera is charged.

robbo
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 01, 2005, 09:36:48 AM
Pinkspoons - here's the Riihimäki label (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vase-Riihimaeki-Lasi-Oy_W0QQitemZ6574004802QQcategoryZ7481QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem).
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 09:54:19 AM
Ah, that could be a possibility! There are no paper traces on the jugs, and the glue residue is the type which could suggest a plastic label.

I've just never heard of Riihimäki tableware, though. Not that I'm an expert - not by a long shot! :) I do recall Riihimaen doing some, though, so it's quite likely that Riihimäki did also.

Thanks for the input, though - I'm sure someone will come along to aye or naysay it soon.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 01, 2005, 10:30:41 AM
Riihimäki did produce water sets / decanter sets. At one stage they were, I believe, the largest glass producer in Finland. The best known is probably Nanny Still's Harlekiini, which included glasses, jugs, decanters etc. there is another waterset and other glasses / decanters illustrated in Modernes Glas aus Finnland (catalogue from a travelling exhibition in Germany, 1989-90).
Their tableware seems to be much less well known than that produced by Iittala and Nuutajärvi.

Interesting to see if there are any other suggestions - so much good quality tableware seems to end up, unfortunately, as unidentified!!  :?  :?
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: pamela on November 01, 2005, 10:31:34 AM
as far as I know Riihimaen and Riihimäki is ONE glasswork - just different Finnish spelling  :)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 10:51:15 AM
Ah, I didn't know they were the same company! How odd to have two names.

It would explain why I've seen the Harlekiini set listed as by Riihimaen.

I agree about the huge quantities of unidentified tableware. I think a lot of this style just gets lumped in as generic Polish glassware when no one can put a manufacturer to them, though.

Krosno, it's the dumping ground of the Scandi glass world.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 11:07:08 AM
Another suggestion might be Podebrady Glassworks? They had a label the right shape, but I don't know if they ever ventured into this style of tableware?
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 01, 2005, 11:11:09 AM
Sorry, I didn't mean to give the impression that Riihimäki / Riihimäen were different companies. To be totally accurate I should probably have referred to the company as Riihimäen Lasi in my previous posts, since Riihimäki is the place in Finland where they were based, and from where their name was taken. Kumela were based there too.  :D  :D  :D

I suppose the mass of unidentified glass is why we're here!  8)  8)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 11:16:40 AM
Oh, not your fault - I've thought the two names represented different companies for a while now.  :oops:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Glen on November 01, 2005, 12:56:11 PM
The town where the Riihimäki glass works was located (and is now the Finnish Glass Museum) is called Riihimäki. It is about an hour's drive up the motorway north of Helsinki.

I don't speak Finnish (well, I can say thank you and a few essential glass-hunting words too  :lol: ) but I think that the word Riihimäen means "of Riihimaki" or "from Riihimaki".

I have seen the glass works referred to as

Riihimäki
Oy Riihimäki
Riihimäen
Riihimäen Lasi Oy
Riihimäen Lasi O.y.

I believe that Oy means "limited company" or "Inc".

I personally always refer to the company as Riihimäki. That is the actual word they used to mark some of their glass (I have examples of it moulded into Carnival Glass).

You can see a little more about Riihimaki here.

http://www.geocities.com/carni_glass_uk_2000/RemarkableRiihimaki.html
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Ivo on November 01, 2005, 02:53:16 PM
Lasi come home
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Glen on November 01, 2005, 02:59:36 PM
What a riihimarkable comment, Ivo! (http://www.websmileys.com/sm/crazy/1319.gif)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 03:46:46 PM
*groans at the bad jokes*  :lol:

Very informative site, though. Thanks!
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Sklounion on November 01, 2005, 03:50:53 PM
Pinkspoons wrote:
Quote
Another suggestion might be Podebrady Glassworks?


I take it you mean the Bohemia Glassworks, at Podebrady? Only the Svetla nad Sazavou plant, Works Number 4 of Bohemia Glass was known to make coloured drinking glass and that was from the late 1970's. A label for Bohemia Glass from the Svetla factory can be seen at Anne's Glass Gallery, on the Labels page.
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/

For most of the Communist period the labelling was square or rectangular, and no label of that shape is shown in Langhamer's pretty comprehensive list in "The Legend of Bohemian Glass" 2003, Prague.

I am not sure why anyone would suggest the Podebrady works, and IMHO, a most unlikely candidate.

Regards,

Le Casson
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 03:57:32 PM
Podebrady Glassworks, pre-1965 (before it merged for Sklárny Bohemia), has a label the same shape as the glue residue. I only know that because there's a photo of some labeled glass in Millers - I know nothing much of Podebrady's output.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 06:01:00 PM
Actually.... skipping back to my amateurishness when it comes to Finnish glass... and just to reinforce that I'm a real glass numpty in general...

How are Riihimaen / Riihimaki actually pronounced? My brain pronounces them as "Ree-hee-ma-hen" and "Ree-hee-ma-key" to itself whenever I read the words...  :)

At collector's fairs as close as I hear other folk pronounce them is "I fink it's from Sweden..."  :lol:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Ivo on November 01, 2005, 06:14:27 PM
ree mah kee
ree may hen la si

oi!
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 06:21:44 PM
Yay - so now I know! Many thanks, I won't look like so much of a dope now if ever I try to say them in public.  :lol:  :oops:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 01, 2005, 06:32:18 PM
Quote from: "Glen"

You can see a little more about Riihimaki here.

http://www.geocities.com/carni_glass_uk_2000/RemarkableRiihimaki.html


Glen,
Thanks for the link, I've seen the occasional piece of Riihimäki carnival before, but nothing as expansive as this. I was especially interested to see the Riihimäki mark.

My knowledge of the Finnish language is very limited but as I understand it, Oy is a shortened form of the word Osakeyhtiö, of which the nearest equivalent in the UK is a "private limited company" - as opposed to one where the shares are publicly traded. There's a neat explanation here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osakeyhti%C3%B6).

As I understand it the company's original 'official' name in 1910 was 'Oy Riihimäki', but was renamed 'Riihimäen Lasi Oy' in 1937. Post WWII glass, when marked, usually seems to be done in this form, whether with the circular etched stamp or with the hand-engraved mark. In the catalogue from the Sunderland exhibition from 1996, Finnish Post War Glass, there's an Arttu Brummer piece catalogued as 1937 marked like this too. There's seems less consistancy amongst the labels though - I've examples with both 'Riihimäen Lasi' and 'Riihimäki'.

Ivo - thanks for the pronounciation tips - I can stop mumbling now. :lol:  :lol:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Glen on November 01, 2005, 06:42:41 PM
I'm glad you liked the Riihimaki link - and thanks for your info too, Robbo.

I'm a bit passionate about my Riihimaki Carnival - it really is beautiful glass and almost always has a magnificent iridescence. The town of Riihimaki isn't my favourite place, but the glass museum is wonderful and they have a really good little cafe/restaurant too!
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: tmaritta on November 01, 2005, 08:08:43 PM
Riihimäen is the genitive (showing possession) form of Riihimäki.   As stated Riihimäen Lasi Oy was the company name (Oy means Plc) located in Riihimäki.  

The old factory of Riihimäen Lasi now hosts the Finnish Glass Museum - so if you are ever around I recommend a visit there.  This sommer they had e.g. a real nice exhibition of glass by new Finnish designers - rather impressive works - and of course all the classics of Finnish glass design.

TMaritta

P.S.  Just read the comment about Oy and learnt something new too!  Well when Riihimäen Lasi Oy was still operating I don't think they had this OyJ company form, just plain Oy...
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 08:11:20 PM
I'll have to drop hints to my partner about how nice a holiday in Finland would be for my birthday... via Denmark, of course, so I can stop by the Holmegaard shop...  :D
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Glen on November 01, 2005, 08:17:34 PM
TMaritta - wasn't that pretty much what I said? Or did I go wrong somewhere?(http://www.websmileys.com/sm/sad/533.gif)

Glen
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 01, 2005, 08:21:10 PM
Quote from: "Robbo"

Ivo - thanks for the pronounciation tips - I can stop mumbling now. :lol:  :lol:


We should start a thread giving the pronunciations of all of the more difficult (difficult for us British folk, at least!) glass makers.  :lol: Even with something as simple as Holmegaard I've heard at least three different variations at fairs...
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: pamela on November 01, 2005, 08:42:51 PM
Thank you tmaritta - I hoped so much you would comment!!
Glen - yes, you did, but with tmaritta's it is irresistable   :D
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: tmaritta on November 01, 2005, 09:10:14 PM
Quote from: "Glen"
TMaritta - wasn't that pretty much what I said? Or did I go wrong somewhere?(http://www.websmileys.com/sm/sad/533.gif)

Glen


Glen,  

Sure, you pretty much stated what the common reference to this company is - just wanted to share the additional information what Riihimäen vs.  Riihimäki means.   Oh, and I was probably reading your comment too fast and didn't really notice you addressed this point as well.  No offence meant!

Cheers,
TMaritta
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Anne on November 02, 2005, 12:19:07 AM
Miller's produce a raft of books about Glass (if you refer to one can you say which one please? ;)), but there is a photo as Pinkspoons says in Miller's Glass of the 50's and 60's by Nigel Benson, which shows a decanter and two tumblers, "... by Podebrady Glassworks, c1950's..." which do indeed have some sort of rounded corner triangular sticker. No idea what it says as it's too small to read. I know zilch about all of this - just adding the book reference for anyone who is interested. :)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 02, 2005, 12:48:31 AM
Oops.  :oops:

I was always being told by my tutors at university that I didn't reference properly... and as you can see, they never nagged the trend out of me.  :lol:

Anyhow, I've trawled and trawled, and can't find a single online reference to Riihimäen tableware that isn't carnival glass. It must be seriously under-represented in the glass world! It's a shame, because it's very nice and stylish (And easy to clean! Always a bonus!).
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 02, 2005, 09:04:10 AM
Pinkspoons,
Here's a Riihimäen Lasi / Riihimäki water set, with stickers (http://www.huuto.net/fi/showitem.php3?itemid=20340350), on Huuto. There's lot of the textured tableware on there too - Kasperi (Siiroinen), Grapponia (Nanny Still), Barokki (Siiroinen) amongst others. I often spend hours looking on there!! :lol:  :lol:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 02, 2005, 09:37:33 AM
Ah, I wouldn't have found that because I was just searching in English. I've never been terribly good with other languages - I only just know enough French and German to gather a bit of information and barter down a price.  :D

Thanks for the link, though - it's a very nice set, and I can see a passing resemblance to my set around the base of the jug and glasses.

I don't suppose anyone could hazzard a guess as to the designer of mine? Pretty please?  :)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 02, 2005, 09:50:27 AM
Excepting the odd word, I can't read the Finnish descriptions on Huuto, but it's nice to look at the pictures :lol:  :lol:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 02, 2005, 09:53:15 AM
I managed to find the glass on the site pretty easily. There are only so many thngs that antiikki could mean, and we all know the word lasi by now.  :lol:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 02, 2005, 09:55:56 AM
It's a good job I can't make out any of the rest of the site, otherwise I'd be quite contentedly bidding away by now. hehe.

I've never seen so many original labels.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 02, 2005, 10:43:05 AM
Unfortunately, I believe you need need a Finnish bank account to register on Huuto  :( but it's still a great source of info.
Another one worth looking at is www.tradera.com (http://www.tradera.com) (Swedish). :D

robbo
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 02, 2005, 11:24:20 AM
Ah, I've been on this one before - it's come in handy once or twice for putting model names and numbers to items I've bought.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: tmaritta on November 02, 2005, 06:40:40 PM
Quote from: "robbo"
Unfortunately, I believe you need need a Finnish bank account to register on Huuto  :( but it's still a great source of info.
Another one worth looking at is www.tradera.com (http://www.tradera.com) (Swedish). :D

robbo


Actually I did register on Huuto.net a couple of months ago and no Finnish bank account (or no account information at all) was required if I recall correctly.  However, I have never bid on anything so I can't really tell how easy it would be to wrap up a succesful bid.  Obviously they don't use PayPal and paying through an UK bank account is very expensive (20-25£ for a transaction from my bank - but there may be cheaper ways).

TMaritta
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 02, 2005, 07:15:01 PM
Just in case it was missed...

Quote from: "Pinkspoons"
I don't suppose anyone could hazard a guess as to the designer of m[y water set]? Pretty please?  :)


Yes, I know, I'm terrible and impatient!  :twisted:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Anonymous on November 03, 2005, 05:05:38 AM
I could hazard a guess, but it would be wrong. Possibly, Polish???????
(with emphasis on the query marks)
(sometimes chucking in a tentative guess prompts a correction)
Cathy B.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 03, 2005, 09:55:43 AM
I thought we'd already established Riihimäen Lasi as manufacturer? Or did I mistake the puns as confirmation? Ah, I'm not on the ball this week!  :(  hehe
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 03, 2005, 09:58:46 AM
Quote from: "Pinkspoons"
Krosno, it's the dumping ground of the [unidentified] Scandi glass world.


Still stands true, though!  :lol:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 03, 2005, 10:39:50 AM
Quote from: "Anonymous"
I could hazard a guess, but it would be wrong. Possibly, Polish???????
(with emphasis on the query marks)
(sometimes chucking in a tentative guess prompts a correction)
Cathy B.

Quote from: "Pinkspoons"
I thought we'd already established Riihimäen Lasi as manufacturer?


My intention was to suggest that Riihimäen Lasi may be a possibility, based on the shape of the label residue and that the design, maybe, is not untypical. Unless someone has something like a trade catalogue with the set in, or, at the least, we see one fully stickered (and even this isn't a gaurantee), we can't be sure of who made it.

TMaritta, thanks for the info on Huuto.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 03, 2005, 11:28:04 AM
Hi.

I assumed that Ivo had confirmed the manufacturer - possibly my bad!  :oops:
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 03, 2005, 11:50:35 AM
Pinkspoons,
That's maybe my misunderstanding -  :oops:  :oops:  :oops:

robbo
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 04, 2005, 11:19:04 AM
The kindly folk of Tyrone Crystal might disagree with you...!  :)
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Cathy B on November 08, 2005, 05:14:29 AM
Quote from: "Pinkspoons"
Hi.

I assumed that Ivo had confirmed the manufacturer - possibly my bad!  :oops:


Hi Nic,

As far as I can see, Ivo was just punning around! ID on this set still seems to be pretty tentative.

I'm wary of attributing anything on the basis of colour and vague similarity alone. Most of the glass I'm studying here in Australia has been copied from elsewhere. The Australian market in the 1930s was flooded with imports, and Crown Crystal made their own copies to compete. It's an art tell which are which from the catalogues, mould forms, etc - especially since the Australian mould makers weren't so particular about getting the sizes precisely as ordered.

Robbo - if you have the exact measurements of the label, maybe it would add a bit more evidence one way or the other (but you're still a long way off proof).  

Vidfletch, can you add to or contradict this?

Cheers,
Cathy.
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Sklounion on November 08, 2005, 08:07:43 AM
Hi Cathy,

You wrote: "if you have the exact measurements of the label, maybe it would add a bit more evidence one way or the other (but you're still a long way off proof)."

A good point, and to go with it, a cautionary note. Recently I received an image of three vases, one clearly bearing a "Bohemia" glass label. Proof-positive? Hardly, when all three vases were scandinavian, two clearly Riihimaki and the third probably from the same factory. I think the label had been re-used, to try to improve a price at auction.

Regards,

Marcus
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 20, 2005, 07:06:15 PM
Follow up:

By sheer coincidence I showed the photo to a fellow glass-o-holic in a little comparing session, and it turns out he has exactly the same water set, with all the Riihimäen Lasi labels all in-tact. Hurray.

I don't suppose it's very likely that two identical generic water sets would have Riihimäen Lasi labels falsely stuck on them and then sent off to different countries? Well, I guess stranger things have happened....  :D  ...but circumstance seems to point in my favour for once!
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: robbo on November 20, 2005, 11:19:41 PM
Nic,

Great to get a positive id :D  :D  :D .
I suppose the next thing is to determine the designer... :?:

A waterset back in it's rightful place in id'd land!

robbo
Title: Purple Jug & Glasses Set w/ Triangular Label: Riihimäki?
Post by: Pinkspoons on November 20, 2005, 11:26:14 PM
For now I'm just happy enough to have pinned it down with 99% certainty to Riihimäen Lasi - I'll worry about who designed it next year, I think!  :lol:

I've decided anyway, 2006 shall be the year of old catalogue purchasing for me! No more umming and erring, I want to be able to point at a photograph and a year and a designer and not have to hurt my brain ever again! Well, as little as possible, anyway! :D

Thankfully Holmegaard are reprinting theirs! That's about 75% of my collecting habit dealt with!