Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Scandinavian Glass => Topic started by: astrid on April 23, 2010, 06:00:34 AM
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Hi,
I've just picked up this pressed bowl in a charity shop, marked with a plastic Riihimäki label (see photo). Since it only sold for EUR 0.95, I guess the label was not put on to impress me :). It's a lovely turquoise colour. The pattern looks very familiar, I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before recently, possibly on this forum, but after 1,5 hours of searching I give up and plead for your help. I know it probably isn't very old (label looks modern), it's only pressed glass, but it's simply lovely and I would love to know who designed it and approximately when.
I'm sure the pattern is telltale enough, but the measurements are 27.5 cm diameter at the top, 6 cm high and 7.5 cm at the base.
By the way, I understand that Riihimäki is the name of the town, not the glassmaker, can I automatically assume this is from Riihimaen Lasi Oy? Or are there other glassmakers active there?
Thanks,
Astrid
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I am no expert of Riihimäen Lasi Oy, but being a Finn to me the "lynx" sign is familiar from childhood's so called "Lynx Jars". (you can google "ILVESTÖLKKI" ) They are glass jars in various sizes Riihimäen Lasi produced in masses for people to preserve eg. berries, vegetables and mushrooms over the winter. Still found in homes and fleamarkets all the time. And being used too!
I remember very well the lid has the lynx sign and written "RIIHIMÄKI". In some of the jars the lynx sign and text was pressed in the glass.
So I can confirm Riihimäen lasi has used the name of the town like that in their products, for short I guess.
(additional info: The lynx logo was designed for Riihimäen Lasi in 1912 by architect Oiva Kallio. It's background is certainly in the lynx found in the coat-of-arms of the province ("Häme") where Riihimäki is.)
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On page 206 Millers 20th Century Glass by Andy McConnell it says this label was used for automatic production only 1977-90, so definitely Riihimaen Lasi.
Doesn't help with designer though.
John
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Thanks very much for that information. At least now I can put a period on the piece.
I've just received that book yesterday in the mail. Unfortunately, mine is the US edition, which doesn't seem to mention labels. I had no idea there were different editions of that book... beginner's mistake I guess. All this book collecting is a weird side effect. So far, I've almost spend more money on reference books than on glass!
And thanks to the extra information and trying some extra search labels, I've now discovered www.designlasi.com. Wow, that's a treasure trove of finnish glass, and they even have been thoughtful enough to provide one english speaking form on their side. I'll try there as well.
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Astrid, I've just been inspired to study and learn more of Riihimäen lasi's latest years (of so called "Kotilasi" automated production era) because of this thread! And unfortunately did not find anything (yet) of your bowl. (which makes me smile as the design is SOOOO "80's" in my eyes :))
Bear in mind it has been noted here the desinglasi -site is not always quite complete in information, especially in English. But of course a great place to search and browse for glass!
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Designlase is a great database for browsing. But difficult to use... now that I'm logged in, it's suddenly very difficult to find the forums or to post there. Appears I've send my bowl question to the database instead of the forum by mistake. I've had to ask assistence of the site admin :cry: I feel very stupid...
But PX, if I rekindled an interest for the latter days of Riihimaen, I'm glad. My thinking is that since I love glass primarily for it's design, it shouldn't matter too much if it's handblown or pressed or how old it exactly is if it looks interesting. I meet antique and curio dealers here regularly who automatically dismiss any glass that isn't 'old'. To them, that means if it's younger than art deco - 1930's, they don't buy it. Which leaves more left on the shelves of charity shops for me to discover, but it boggles my mind that they would walk right past, say, an underpriced 50s Orrefors Ariel vase.
Maybe 1980 is some sort of mental barrier for most glass lovers for the less expensive glass. I think someone for instance will at some point create a forum for vintage Ikea collectors and hopefully they will make a database for eighties and nineties Ikea that is no longer sold in the shops (wouldn't that be a great reference for lovers of Scandinavian glass, if only what not to buy) :).
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mine is the US edition, which doesn't seem to mention labels.
Are you sure you're looking at the same book? Mine has prices in £ and $, which implies only one edition
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On page 206 Millers 20th Century Glass by Andy McConnell it says this label was used for automatic production only 1977-90, so definitely Riihimaen Lasi.
Doesn't help with designer though.
John
Sorry, different book, then? What I have is called '20th century glass' by Judith Miller, no mention of Andy McConnell. It's a US book by DK publishing. Confusing when the names are so similar...
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There are conveniently two books with the title 20th Century Glass.
DK Collectors Guides 20th-Century Glass by Judith Miller, ISBN 1 4053 0592 4. I think of this one as a 'coffee table book' lots of nice photos but little information, a wide range of makers covered.
Millers 20th-Century Glass by Andy McConnell, ISBN1 84533 099 4. This one also has plenty of photos and images but has more information about a variety of makers and concentrates mostly on the second half of the century. A good general glass book, very useful.
John
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And it's even more confusing that the name Miller features in both of them. But thanks for the tip, I am still searching for more general reference books, especially those that have a bit more post-war glass, so this sounds like a winner. I'll try and find one, it looks like it's already out of print...
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Just had a look on Amazon and I am :o at the asking price for both books.
The cover price on Andy McConnells was UK £30.
The Judith Miller book was UK £20.
The books are more valuable than the glass......
John
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This is my clear Riihimäki vase with similar pattern. Model name is Avanti and it's from the 80's. Riihimäen lasi used the heart shaped sticker in their Kotilasi-products. (Kotilasi=Homeglass) They were machine-made and not very valuable these days.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc173/Fastpak_photos/Kuva373.jpg (http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc173/Fastpak_photos/Kuva373.jpg)
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc173/Fastpak_photos/Kuva376.jpg (http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc173/Fastpak_photos/Kuva376.jpg)
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Nice fastpak, thanks for showing me the vase! I personally don't care that it is not very valuable... I just like the pattern. Maybe they'll be more appreciated in a few decades.
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Astrid:
Spending as much on books as on glass is a good start to collecting as well as a great investment. The mistakes I made early on could mostly have been avoided if I'd bought and read more books before I started collecting.
David
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Thanks David, I'm steadily working on my glass book collection. At this point, I'm mostly investing in books on my primary collecting area (Czech 50s - 70s) and still looking for good books on my secondary, post war German, of which there alas are almost none.
I did buy the Miller book mentioned in this thread, and it's proven one of the better ones, well worth the extra price tag (though I luckily got it for around 50 euros, which I think was worth it). Actually - since I'm working on my Picasa albums anyway, I'll think it might be worthwhile to list my glass books there also, and give a short caption on how useful and helpful I deem them to be. Might help others to know which books to hunt down, and which ones to leave alone.
Astrid
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Czech post war? Pressed or blown?
I suppose you have Mark Hill's book? I like Helmut Ricke's book Czech Glass for its perspective and erudition, although most of the glass pictured is way beyond my budget. Antonin Langhamer, The Legend of Bohemian Glass is pretty good if you can pick it up for a reasonable price second hand, as is J. Raban, Modern Bohemian Glass. I'm surprised by the amount of pieces that are I've never seen that appear in those books. I'm always hoping that a book on Skrdlovice will appear some time soon.
If it's pressed glass, then it's Marcus Newhall Sklo Union.
I've seen your Picasa album when I noticed you had visited mine (Ellwyn). You're off to a good start.
David
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Czech post war? Pressed or blown?
I suppose you have Mark Hill's book? I like Helmut Ricke's book Czech Glass for its perspective and erudition, although most of the glass pictured is way beyond my budget. Antonin Langhamer, The Legend of Bohemian Glass is pretty good if you can pick it up for a reasonable price second hand, as is J. Raban, Modern Bohemian Glass. I'm surprised by the amount of pieces that are I've never seen that appear in those books. I'm always hoping that a book on Skrdlovice will appear some time soon.
If it's pressed glass, then it's Marcus Newhall Sklo Union.
I've seen your Picasa album when I noticed you had visited mine (Ellwyn). You're off to a good start.
David
Wow, we are going very off topic, sorry - but unfortunately I'm somehow barred from sending PMs, so if a moderator steps in - could you please fix that I'm allowed to PM as an alternative?
Mod: Sorry no, here's why... http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,29064.0.html
I collect both pressed and blown so far, I'm a bit of an opportunity buyer and like to snap up things that are modestly priced and/or unrecognized by their owners. So far I'm still shuffling my feet at shelling out the big bucks. I mean, I would love to own a nice bit of Hlava or Lipsky, but I just can't bring myself to pay over EUR 300 for it.
Mark Hill's book is very helpful, that's exactly the sort of book I like - it features lots of glass I can actually hope to come across and find. I still hope and/or wish he would take the trouble to write a similar book on postwar German glass (since he's already interested in German ceramics from that period maybe it's not such a big stretch).
I've picked up Marcus Newhall's book - especially the CD is very helpful (though I wish there was a way to update the database with designs left out (Jindrich already pointed one of my vases out whose pattern number should have been on the CD, but wasn't - and I'm sure many people own pressed Czech glass where they could provide the picture instead of just the drawings).
Ricke's book is beautiful, but less helpful, it tends to picture one-offs and museum pieces. Don't think I'll find many of those. I have a big book of Langhamer on Bohemian Glass, in French, so I'm not quite sure which title that would be translated in English. The French title is "Le Verre de Boheme", that might be the same book as you're referring to.
I'll keep an eye out for the Raban book, still missing that one...
And thanks for exchanging Picasa's with me, your collection looks very good. Don't hesitate to correct me if you see anything amiss in my attributions!
Astrid
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Astrid:
I can see how you've been spending money on books. You have the correct Langhamer book. The Raban book is worth looking for. I've also found Diane Foulds, Guide to Czech and Slovak useful for information of what happened to companies after the split up of Czechoslovakia. Not many pictures, though.
Thanks for the kind words re my Picasa albums.
David
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Back to the topic :rah: : some additional info on the pattern Avanti of Riihimäen Lasi:
It was designed by Hans Nyqvist in 1987 and produced
in 3 sizes: bowls 80mm and 260mm and vase 13cm
and in 4 colours: blue, green, pink and clear.
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I searched a bit and it seems the same person designed other household glass for Riihimaen, though he's not very well known as a designer.
But it's great to finally have a name, thanks PX!
Astrid