Topic: Strange signed studio glass made for Nestlé

[highlumen]

Found this strange piece of glass today in a small junk shop, thought it was interesting enough to buy even though I couldn't read the signature on the base ****** ,98

When I asked about the glass the assistant said "Ah, we have a box for that" and came back with a tubular cardboard carton with a tin bottom and a tin top bearing the name 'Nestle' and the companies logo. The box has foam inserts in the base and attached to the lid which perfectly fit the top and bottom shape of the piece

I've searched Google using every term I can think of without success and so I hope all you glass fanatics out there will be able to help. The piece is about 300mm/just under 12 inches tall.

I'm not convinced the way I have displayed it is correct, it could well work as well the other way up, although it does store in the box the way I have shown so hopefully I've got it right.

I'm sorry if the quality of the images is not brilliant, I'm on holiday and have taken, edited and resized the pics using my iPad, if you would like to see some full size images (which I'm unable to display here) please email me.

Thanks for your help with this,
Mike

[highlumen]

Thought I would add a point regarding the printing on the packaging for this piece, it has a Tulip decoration printed in gold on a black background.... Anybody any ideas on a manufacturer or studio that uses this as a logo or motif?

Thanks again,
Mike

[highlumen]

Also managed to take a better photograph of the signature, hope this will help.

Fingers crossed!!
Mike

[keith]

Hello Mike,welcome,can't help with an id I'm afraid,you could try emailing Nestle they might be able to help ? 

[highlumen]

Hi Keith,

I had considered that, but after Googling Nestlé found that like most well known brands these days they are multi-national with offices just about everywhere. I bought this in the UK, but I guess it could have been manufactured anywhere as part of a UK, European or worldwide promotion. I'll shoot off a few exploratory emails tomorrow and see what replies I get.

Couldn't make up my mind if this was a promotional piece or possibly a display item for a specific product. Any ideas?

Taken the opportunity to load an further image of the packaging and the central bubble section.

Thanks for posting 
Mike

[antiquerose123]

Hi there...

I have NO idea at all................but I did find this and NOT sure if it could be related ..... or not.  So take this with a grain of salt. 

?? ??  See here ??

http://baldwinguggisberg.com/creations/Nestle#creation-98

But this is a Big ?

[glassobsessed]

I think Nestle is a complete red herring here, just coincidence that the item fits in one of their old boxes.

John

[highlumen]

Hi there...

I have NO idea at all................but I did find this and NOT sure if it could be related ..... or not.  So take this with a grain of salt. 

?? ??  See here ??

http://baldwinguggisberg.com/creations/Nestle#creation-98

But this is a Big ?

Hi Rose, thanks for your input.

Yes, that link came up in my Google search and it seems they produced some giant glass panels for the new Nestlé headquarters building. The site also had details of some nice looking glass plates they made for the company around the same time, but nothing else.

Obviously commissions from a giant multinational are going to give any company a boost and you would think that they would perhaps portfolio any other work they had done. It's this that bugs me, if you had made something for Nestlé wouldn't you want to shout about it? But nothing at all comes up in searches for this piece. I was hoping that somebody would one up with a name after I posted a much better image of the signature.

Thanks again,
Mike

[highlumen]

I think Nestle is a complete red herring here, just coincidence that the item fits in one of their old boxes.

John

Hello John, thanks for your comment.

I don't think so, I think the container has been made specifically for the piece. The foam insert in the bottom of the box is 'welded' to the tin bottom as is the foam insert 'welded' to the tin lid (with the Nestlé name and logo. These aren't just plain foam pads, but have each been moulded to fit the exact contours of the top and bottom of the piece (both of which are entirely different in shape and size). The box itself has not been remodelled, cut-down or altered in anyway and is absolutely the right size to hold the item to the millimetre.

So no Red Herring here me thinks.....

Thanks for contributing,
Mike

[highlumen]

Success, or at least partial success.

The piece turns out to be a Christmas Gift commissioned by Imag[in]e Nestlé who are Nestlé's Corporate Identity & Design team in Vevey, Switzerland. This glass piece was made in Amber (as the one I have) and Cranberry (see pic below) as the gift for 1998.

http://www.imaginenestle.com/index.php?/brochures-books/christmas-gifts-overview-since-1990/

Rose was on the right lines with her link to the Red Glass Plate produced by Baldwin Guggisberg which was actually the Christmas Gift for 1996.

Imag[in]e quote "Human Resources" as their client for this piece, but no other information is given as to who it was given to or what purpose it served, although several other pieces were used as very fancy chocolate holders. It doesn't say how many of these were produced, but the Baldwin Guggisberg website said they made 18,000 of the red plates - this was however a more industrially produced piece and not hand blown / signed as with this item.

I was confused as to which was the top and bottom of this piece, but the Nestlé images shows it both ways so it was obviously designed to have a dual use.

There is no information regarding the studio that produced this piece of glass and so I will email Imag[in]e Nestlé to see if I can find out more (quantities / designer - maker) - if successful I will update this post with the details. Until then, if anyone recognises the signature from the piece then I would love to have that information.

I'm happy to have found this, but sad as I think I prefer the cranberry version....  always greener........

Thanks again for the input I received,
Mike

[Mod: Image from imaginestle website removed as per Board guidelines on copyright photos. Please simply follow the link above.]