Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Scandinavian Glass => Topic started by: glassobsessed on May 20, 2009, 09:18:53 AM
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Just wondering which company might have made this ridiculously tall bottle vase, it is around 84cm/33 inches tall and the base is about 25cm/10 inches in diameter.
It is made with a layer of clear glass cased in white then red then clear again, somebody has also drilled a hole near the base presumably to convert it into a lamp base.
Would it have been blown (you would need some serious lung capacity) or machine made or....?
Thanks, John.
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I don't know who made it, but it reminds me strongly of this lamp I posted.
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,26436.msg145395.html#msg145395
Your vase is much thinner through the neck than the lamp is, although I think the lamp is thicker to accommodate a hollow metal rod surrounded by a decorative glass tube for wiring. The lamp is bottom drilled. In looking at the lamp again it is concave on the underside like this vase is. The size is also basically the same at 33 tall and 10 wide at the body.
My guess is they are likely from the same shop. The lamp has a sticker at the top of the glass that say "Hand Blown Swedish Glass". and it dates to the 50's.
Ivo said "your lamp was probably made at Elme Glasbruk."
Craig
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Hi Craig, thank you, I did read the thread you started about your lamp, it prompted me to try and find a little info about this bottle vase. I was wondering if the size and cased style of this one would help with finding an attribution for it. I think that all the bottle vases of this shape in varying sizes I have seen have a concave base, otherwise they would be unstable and not stand upright. Like me after just one glass of wine.
I think that the hole in the side of this vase was added after production, it is not very 'clean', it looks to me to not be of the standard of factory work. It does however allow me to see how thin the glass is at the base, probably less than one sixteenth of an inch compared to the neck where the glass must be a quarter of an inch thick. There is no evidence that I can see of any light fittings on this one.
After looking at the photo of yours again, does the rod go all the way through it and attach to the metal base?
I see what you mean about the difference in the necks, this one gives me the impression that the glass maker grabbed the neck and pulled and stretched it while the glass was still plastic.
John.
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Hi John,
Yes, the rod goes all the way through and is attached with nuts to the base. The rod is a long piece of hollow all thread with a decorative textured piece of clear glass tube around it to mask it's appearance. It actually seems to take the stress off of the glass by simply holding the glass in place firmly, but transferring any real stress to the metal base, or to just above the cap assembly at the top. It actually appears that if the glass were broken away or missing on my lamp, it would still stand and be functional, and the glass is merely done in a way that it is a cosmetic addition and not a structurally functional part of the lamp. Another aspect of the design of my lamp is that the base has additional weight in it, to offset the weight at the top. Without the weight at the bottom the piece would be very top heavy and would topple quite easily.
Since my glass is transparent and not translucent , it is easy to see that the thickness of it is about the same at all points of the body and neck. In looking at yours, my guess is that they drilled the piece on the side for a wire, and then realized that without a hole at the bottom in the center it would be quite difficult to attach all of the necessary large hardware to make the lamp functional and also build a lamp that would appear to be in scale with a shade on it. It also appears that the internal dimensions of the neck on your glass may have prohibited the insertion of a reasonably thick rod to support it all, so they abandoned the project.....
I think Ivo may be able to attribute the glass.. at least that would be my gut feeling.... I do not think that many companies would have produced this shape and size of glass.....
Pretty vase though.....
Pieces that large seem quite uncommon from what I have been able to determine.....
My Emerald green version of the lamp has a glass body that is around 24" in height, with the same shape and about the same body size.... just a little shorter neck....
Craig
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You could well be right about a conversion that failed. Sticking a fitting on this with a shade big enough not to look out of proportion would make it fall over with ease. Thankfully it was not filled with concrete to make it work.....
John.
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Just too bad they didn't think it through before getting the drill out!!!
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Saw this today.... Don't know the seller.... You may want to ask the source of attribution they are using.....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ARTHUR-PERCY-Gullaskruf-RARE-22-Bottle-Vase-DANISH-MOD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ995QQihZ012QQitemZ220418956380QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQsalenotsupported
Craig
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I do not think that many companies would have produced this shape and size of glass.....
It's a fairly common shape in Swedish glass, with several companies churning it out. The first - or at least most successful - factory to produce it was Gullaskruf, and was designed by Arthur Percy. Other factories followed suit. Italian factories also produced similar pieces.
As far as I know - I'm not an expert on glass production - the manufacture of this type of glass is not at all difficult, with the glassmaker standing on a ledge/platform and letting gravity stretch the neck out after s/he has blown the main body.
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Thank you Nic, I did not know that some examples were made in Italy with this shape. Also, allowing gravity to do the work for you makes perfect sense. I think I will try to learn a little more about the actual production of glass not just who made what and isn't it lovely.
John.
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As far as I know - I'm not an expert on glass production - the manufacture of this type of glass is not at all difficult, with the glassmaker standing on a ledge/platform and letting gravity stretch the neck out after s/he has blown the main body.
:huh:
:spls:
::)
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I assume I've got that wrong then? :-[
I was just going off what I was told with regards production of similar (but modern) long-necked vases made in Denmark (by Bodum, if memory serves).
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not at all difficult
Just let me know when you'd like to come and have a try! :rn:
the glassmaker standing on a ledge/platform and letting gravity stretch the neck out after s/he has blown the main body.
Gravity yes, but "before" rather than "after" would be closer to the mark...rather a difference.....but please be careful of making sweeping generalisations that can then work there way into becoming erroneous "facts". :) I will try to give a clear description of the process when time permits.
Btw here is a lamp that we make in several colours for Porta Romana
http://www.portaromana.co.uk/uk-europe/GLB-27-Grey-Gourd-Lamp.php
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Just let me know when you'd like to come and have a try! :rn:
I'm up for the challenge. ;D
Actually, were I closer your neck of the woods I would definitely have gone on one of your glassblowing courses already - I find the process fascinating. Here 'oop north' there's nothing terribly hands-on beyond college courses in fused jewellery. *sigh*
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Coming to this thread a little late, but would just like to point out that this shape of vase is the shape of a standard, but beautiful and elegant piece of lab equipment.
Known as a volumetric flask, they are used for very accurate measurements of liquid, eack flask being individually calibrated.
There is a large body to hold the amount, but only a very tiny "surface area" to the top of the liquid, and there is a permanent mark made on the neck of the bottle where the bottom of the meniscus should lie.
So Monax (the lab part of Monart) were making them way back in the '30s, although I imagine they've been made for far longer.