Topic: Benny Motzfeldt, Randsfjord Glass?

[davidfish1212]

Hi All,

I bought this great bit of glass by Benny Motzfeldt today. Its 5.5" tall and roughly 5" across, heavy  and a bit lumpy....its great. Its only marked BM 69 to the base and I was told it was for Hadeland or Randsfjord. Am i right in thinking that 69 is the date and it would be a piece of Randsfjord glass, i have been looking on-line and it looks very similar to bits she made at Plus glass.
Thanks in advance.

Cheers, David

[glassobsessed]

Nice piece! Style looks right to be 1969ish, if so Randsfjord I believe. Sue is away for a week, she might be able to say more when she gets home.

John

[davidfish1212]

Cheers John,

It was seeing Sues' bit of 'Benny' that has had me hunting for a bit for myself. Not an easy task finding her glass in the West of Scotland I can tell you....nice to finally find me a bit

David

[mbmb]

Hi

Your vase is indeed Benny Motzfeldt from her time at Randsfjord. Leaving Hadeland in 1968, she was at Randsfjord until 1970, then Plus. Her Randsfjord pieces are not always signed, but when they are, it’s either like your vase (initials and date) or fully signed (Benny Motzfeldt R.fjord and date).

Some collectors (I’m one of them!) find her work from this period more interesting than some of her later, more colourful and «flashy» work. It was at Randsfjord she developed some of the models and techniques that would later maker her really famous. I think your vase is a good example of that transitional period. Also, her Randsfjord art glass is much more rare than her later studio work. Well done!

mbmb

[mbmb]

Hi again

Correction to my item above: she left Hadeland in the summer of 1967. There are some interesting Randsfjord pieces signed 67.

mbmb

[davidfish1212]

Thanks Mbmb, I love this piece of glass. Like I said I've not seen many bits up for grabs, BUT I'M LOOKING NOW!! 

Cheers, David

[chopin-liszt]

You are very lucky indeed David - you have a piece she actually made herself, indicated by the BM signature and the date.
(Note, I do say signature, not mark.  )

If they have a label or etched mark they were made by one of the other glassmakers in the studio, under her personal direction.
According to the '84 book though, even when the pieces were made by another, she would personally lay the inclusions out on the marver for the maker to pick up - it's not as if she didn't have a "hand" in her unsigned pieces.

This is a particularly gorgeous lumpy thing - not an easy thing to find, I'm very jealous!

It is also quite a substantial size - 5" x 5" is quite a big thing!

[davidfish1212]

Thanks Sue, glad you approve  I have you to blame for this dip in my bank balance as it was your 'Benny' that first alerted her work to me. Next time I come visiting I'll bring it up. ( I knew you would like it....it's lumpy!! )

Cheers, David

[chopin-liszt]

 
Well, my interest is in all early Studio Glass, so that encompasses some American; all the early work and artists at the RCA (Sam Herman in particular); Harris "dynasty"...
(I would include Peter Wheeler at Wfs, but simply cannot afford the prices his work goes for. I'm still waiting to find a bit of Peacock hiding away at a reasonable price somewhere.)
There were other makers in Europe branching away from large factories producing "perfect" pieces... basically, the Studio Glass Movement was similar to the Artsand Craft Movement much earlier on.
Benny Motzfeldt was doing this in Norway, and Erwin Eisch was "doing his own thing" in Germany.

I have even discovered there were similar things going on in Polish factories in the early '60s, although the makers/designers, such as Felixs Nawrocki and Zbignew Horbowy, had the use of the facilities of the factories there and the blessing of their bosses to do be doing it.

[chopin-liszt]

I've emailed you, (I hope) David.