The Scandinavian Glassmakers

By David Fitzgerald

The existence of glass has been known for over 7000 years. Glass blowing has been an art for over 2000 years. Althoughmany changes and developments in the making of glass have occurred over time, they’re many techniques and tools that are used today.

Glass is made out of numerous ingredients the main ingredient being sand. To speed melting, soda and potash are added. Redlead can be added to enhance luster. The exact recipe used for themelt at a given glassworks is a closely guarded secret.

The most common technique of working glass is mould blowing, but some glass is also blown and shaped free hand. Other techniques include casting, pressing and centrifuging. After slow cooling, the glass can be further worked with other techniques such as cutting, engraving, etching, sandblasting and painting.

It is almost magical to watch a glass blower turn a molten lump of glass into a work of art. While modern tools and techniques are used for today’s modern glass producing facilities, glass blowers of today still use the same simple tools, which were used by their counterpart’s centuries ago.

The Scandinavian glassmakers of Denmark, Finland, Norway, andSweden have since the 30’s produced a wide variety of product,known to the world as art glass. Not only are the pieces a work of art, but also are designed for both form and function.

The Scandinavian glass industry is over four hundred years old and has long been synonymous with high-quality, refinement andand originality. For high quality glass it is very important to have extremely high grade of raw materials. The northern forests provided them.

Founded in 1792 by two governors (Georg Bogislaus Stalel vonHolstein and Anders Koskull), the oldest glassworks still operating in Sweden is Kosta. Over the next 150 years the company mainly produced utility glass, and was designed by the glass blowers themselves. Because of a critical critique of their work being to uniform at the Stockholm Exhibition of 1897, it was decide to hire designers and artists. It was this decision that has brought out some the great pieces of art glass, which we know today.

Another significant glass company was Orrefors, established in 1898, but in 1913 Johan Ekman who appointed Albert Ahlin to be the manager of the plant after buying the company. It was at this point that a new era for the company began. Orrefors began crystal productions the following year, which is still made to this day.

Still another early glassmaker was Flygsfors formed in Sweden in 1888,producing all types of functional glass. However, they are best known for their groundbreaking design work in Modernist glass of the 1950’s-60’s. Flygsfors was acquired by Orrefors in the 1970’s and was later closed down in 1979. For more information on Scandinavian Glass I suggest Scandinavian Glass 1930-2000Smoke & Ice and Fire & Sea by Leslie Pina & Lorenzo Vigier.(Find at http://www.delvebookstore.com/Scandinavian.htm)

Glass has been produced in Finland since the 15th Century. The main producers of household and tableware’s were Iittala, Nuutajärvi, Karhula and (from 1910) Riihimäki. Other factories included Kauklahti, Ryttylä, Humppila and a number of smaller studios.

Finland’s Iittala Glassworks was founded in 1881. It is now one of the leading factories in Northern Europe. It produces both glass art and household glass. It has played a very important role in the development of the glass industry, starting as early as the 1930s with the Karhula-Iittala competitions. Iittala’s breakthrough occurred in the early years of modernism and functionalism in the 1920s and 30s. It was among the first companies to make the transition from creating decorative settings and dinner sets to progressive Scandinavian design.

Nuutajärvi Glass was founded in 1793 and is the oldest factory in operation in Finland. It has produced pressed glass since 1851, and continued the production of pressed glass even whenIittala discontinued its own production. Both household glass and glass art are produced in Nuutajärvi Glass.

The last major glassworks, Riihimäki Glass Ltd, was founded in 1910. From the twenties to the sixties, it was the largest glass company in Finland. Although it has produced both types of glass products, from the sixties onwards it has concentrated mostly on household glass.

Holmegaard Works was founded in 1825. Today it is Denmark'sonly glasswork and the glassmakers here carry out the traditional handcraft with an individual and artistic touch. Glass pieces, which are in production at the factory of Holmegaard Glassworks range from graceful functional forms of solid weighty glass to sculptural vessels of delicate spiraling shapes.

There were two major glassworks in Norway founded in the 18th century. The first, Nostetangen glasshouse was built by 1741 and, with royal approval, the company intised a master glass-maker, a furnace builder, and a number of assistant glassmakers to come to Norway from Thuringia. Production began quickly and both green and white glass were manufactured from the beginning, but the total amount made was small and sales were poor. Although one might expect that these early pieces would be of poor quality, a few large, flawless goblets made for the royal family between 1741 and 1744, showing the glass maker was capable of producing quality glass pieces.

The second is Hadeland Glassworks, situated in the quite surroundings at southern tip of lake Randsfjord in Jevnaker. It is just a quick hour away by car north of Oslo The glassworks was founded in 1762 and is the oldest industrial company in Norway that can claim continuous operation since its foundation.

Norway's Magnor glassworks lies deep in the heart of the forest and is situated thirty kilometers from Kongsvinger and about 120 kilometers from Oslo. The glassworks was founded in 1896. Several generations of skilled glass blowers provide a firm foundation for this 110-year-old company.

If you are interested in more knowledge on Scandinavian glass, you will find books on the subject at:http://www.delvebookstore.com/Scandinavian.htm

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