Blenko and Erickson

Some smaller glassmakers, like Blenko (1923–present) and Erickson Glassworks (1943–1960), held on to their niche by promoting the handmade quality of their wares. Both companies made glass in solid colors with hand-tooled shapes and decorations similar to Italian and Scandinavian designs. Photo: Hi+Lo Modern Blenko’s decanters are well known and gaining in popularity with collectors. […]

Designer Dishes

One of the ways American glass companies tried to compete was to work with well-known designers. Glassware was usually made to complement ceramic dinnerware. Russel Wright designed several glass lines in the early 1950s: American Modern (Morgantown Glass Works); Twist, Imperial Pinch, and Flair (Imperial Glass Company); Eclipse, Asterisk, and Chess (Bartlett-Collins); Theme Informal (Yamato); […]

American Mid-Twentieth-Century Glass Tableware

American postwar prosperity wasn’t long-lasting for its glass industry. Luxury glassmakers, like Heisey and Cambridge, couldn’t compete with increased imports from Japan, Taiwan, and Eastern Europe, where new factories were automated. Additionally, American lifestyles were changing. Dinner and cocktail parties were less formal. By the 1960s, brides weren’t as likely to register for a complete […]

Venetian Glassware

The islands of Venice have a long, romantic history of glassmaking. In 1291 the presiding Doge of Venice established the island of Murano as a glassmaking area. Venetian glass, itself influenced by Islamic glass designs, influenced Continental tastes. For hundreds of years, the glass produced at Murano has been regarded as among the finest in […]

Major Venetian Glassmakers

Maker Dates and Related Information (Birth and Death dates are in parentheses.) A.Ve.M (also AVEM, Arte Vetraria Muranese) 1932–present Alfredo Barbini, Vetreria Alfredo Barbini (1912–2007) 1950–present Barovier & Toso (Vetreria Artistica Barovier, Ferro Toso Vetrier Artistische Riunite S.A.) 1936–present Acquired Czech firm Bohemia Art Glass in 1998. Ercole Barovier (1889–1974) Barovier & Toso lead designer, […]

Mid-Twentieth Century Scandinavian and Dutch Glassmakers

This table lists the maker or factory, location, and dates of operation for Scandinavian glassmakers and Dutch designers who worked in the Scandinavian style. Parentheses enclose birth and death dates. Maker Location Dates Jacob E. Bang Holmegaard Kastrup DENMARK (1899–1965) 1927–1941 1951–1965 Holmegaard Naestved DENMARK 1825–present In 1985 became part of Royal Copenhagen. Joined Royal […]

Iittala (1881–Present)

Iittala and its sister factory, Karhula, have produced glassware in Finland since the 1880s. Iittala made basic household glassware, some decorated by cutting, enameling, or etching. Karhula, which produced mainly bottles and pressed tableware, merged with Iittala in 1917. Iittala still makes glass as part of the Hackman Tabletop group, which includes ceramics firms Arabia […]

Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985)

Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) was a Finnish designer of glassware, silver, ceramics, stoneware, cutlery, wooden ware, furniture, jewelry, textiles, and even banknotes. He was also a sculptor and graphic designer. Wirkkala was chief designer at Iittala glassworks from 1947 until 1985. He also opened his own studio in 1955, worked at Raymond Loewy’s New York design […]

Scandinavian Glassware

Glassmakers in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden—the geographical area known as Scandinavia—have been making art wares since the nineteenth century. In the early years of the twentieth century, the United States was importing more glass from Bohemia and France than from Scandinavia, where glassmakers were making primarily cut or engraved luxury items. The style known […]

Holmegaard, Kosta, Boda, and Orrefors

After World War II, factories in the United States and Europe had trouble regaining their prewar standing. Swedish and Danish factories were less affected by the war and jumped in to meet demand for blown stemware. In the 1970s, Scandinavian factories set up showrooms in New York City and pooled their manufacturing efforts. The biggest […]