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Blue Animal Bowl

Object NameBowl
Series
  • UNIK 841
Designer Ulrica Hydman-Vallien (Swedish, 1938-2018)
Gaffer Ingvar Jónsson
Manufacturer Kosta Boda AB
Made FromGlass, Glass Enamels
Date1978
Place MadeSweden, Kosta
TechniqueMold-blown, enameled, fire-polished
SizeOverall H: 22.5 cm; Rim Diam: 29.1 cm
Accession Number78.3.73
Curatorial Area(s)
Exhibitions
New Glass: A Worldwide Survey
Steuben Glass Animals
On ViewBen W. Heineman Sr. Family Gallery of Contemporary Glass.
Interpretive Notes
Unlike most American and European glass manufacturers, Scandinavian companies tried to integrate the new “studio” glass into their production. Kosta Boda gave the artists Bertil Vallien and his wife, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, studios at the factory. The Valliens were popular designers for Kosta, and they built an independent studio practice as well. Most studio glass artists did not design for a company and produce unique work; the Valliens were unusual in that they successfully did both.
Physical DescriptionBowl, "Blue Animal Bowl". Colorless and opalescent glass; blue, black, pink and red glass enamels; mold-blown (into a wooden bucket), brushed enamels. Wide, slightly flattened cylindrical bowl with lipless fire-polished rim (enameled cobalt blue); straight walls with upper half opalescent, overall enameled decoration of three stylized four-footed "animals" with exposed human faces in profile and wearing blue cat costumes with black spots on the back, the two largest animals have manes and are crouching with outstretched front feet and tails, the third (with eyelashes and reddened cheek) sits on its hind legs with tail extending vertically, mottled green background with long, narrow blue clouds toward top rim; flattened base, partially ground, ground and polished pontil; engraved on pontil in block letters: "BODA/UNIK 841/ULRICA".
Provenance
Source Kosta Boda AB - 1978-1978-12-28