Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Scandinavian Glass => Topic started by: John Virgin on March 25, 2009, 11:42:14 PM
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Hi,
I got this Nils Landberg recently because I fell in love with it. It is quite heavy, around 2 kg I'd say. Does anyone know if this has a name or model? Also, *ahem* what would the value be (if any).... :)
Thanks in advance!
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According to Ruding in Orrefors the term "expo" was used to describe "art glass" made in smaller quantities outside the larger production runs. Each artist had his own number and the production of a particular design seemed to be limited to one year. There's a discussion of this on the recent thread headed Nils Landberg, Value seems to vary but I haven't seen any with very high prices attached. If that's a 633 on the bottom, it was produced in 1961. Very nice find.
David
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Thanks David, for your comments.
It is signed at the bottom 635-61 not 633. I did some checking before posting here, the "-61" means it is produced in 1961. However, I cannot find the name of this series.
JV
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John:
Sorry I left out an important part of my reply. I haven't seen an expo piece with name, presumably because teach was made in very limited numbers.
David
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Many thanks David. I guess it makes sense for these "expo" items to not be called anything since they are probably not part of any series. But, it is nice to own a very beautiful collectable glasswork and by the sound of it, perhaps rare as well. ;D
I can't wait to get some other "expo" glasswork to start a whole new collection.
JV
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Oops! Some of the Expo pieces were named, at least some made for the centenary of Orrefors in 1998, which were made in editions of 100 and 200. I found this out when I tried to figure out where I had read about Expo pieces. I didn't find much and so I wonder if someone with more knowledge than me in this area, Bill Geary, for example, might know more about Expo glass.
Ivo Haanstra in 'Glass Fact Files' writes about it being "exhibition quality glass." Mark Friedman has a different view of the purpose of "Expo" glass. He writes that Orrefors would "annually introduce new designs, produced in limited numbers by each of its artists. These pieces would be designated and signed 'Expo.' A relatively few of these designs would be incorporated into the firm's regular production." Judging by the numbers given by Ulrika Ruding in Orrefors, some designers created between 1 and 92 (Landberg in in 1956) each year. If each number signified a piece produced even in limited quantities, Palmquist created 448 Expo pieces and Landberg 170. That's a lot of glass. I wonder if they are pictured in Ricke's Swedish Glass Factory Production. Anybody with a copy help out here, please?
It would be an interesting collection to start as it might not be too expensive (I didn't pay that much for the Palmquist and Ohrstrom pieces I have), and it would be a great place to trace the development of two key designers in glass.
David