Orrefors
A Century of Swedish Glassmaking

Edited by Kerstin Wickman
December 1998
Byggförlaget-Kultur / Almqvist & Wiksell International
ISBN: 91-7988-152-1
256 pages, illustrated
$107.00 hardcover


It started with the manufacture of jam jars and ink bottles at a former ironworks in the forests of Småland. Forward-looking management proceeded to build a world-famous art glassworks of sweeping scope-from grand showpieces to everyday ware. To this end, they took on artists and craftspeople.

With the Paris Exposition of 1925 came international acclaim. The engraved glass and utilitarian pieces captured the imagination of the world, coming to symbolize "more beautiful everyday objects" and "Swedish Grace." In this volume, the tale of Orrefors is told by a variety of commentators.

Contents include:
Pioneers, breakthrough, triumph: A half century of artistic growth 1898-1960. Imaginative design and tasteful craft: Towards a new millennium 1960-98. A two-way street: Orrefors' dialogue with Europe 1915-40. A harbinger of modernism: Orrefors in Australia 1920-80. Signatures, techniques, and designers. Bibliography.

Art History