Orrefors Glasbruk

Orrefors Glasbruk is a glassworks in the Swedish village Orrefors in Småland.

The house was founded in 1898 and originally made window glass and practical objects such as jam jars. However the company changed ownership in 1913, and by 1916 attempted to take their work into a more artistic direction. Two Swedish painters, Simon Gate and Edvard Hald, were hired to decorate and design the glass, despite neither of them having any experience with the medium.Bray, Charles (June 19, 2001). "Dictionary of Glass". University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-3619-X. pps. 75, 135.] They were later joined by other artists like Vicke Lindstrand and Edvin Öhrstrom. Each of these people had their own artistic style, but together created several unique features and innovations. One of these was Graal glass, where colored relief decorations are encased in another layer of colorless and transparent crystal, which gives a smooth surface.

A similar technique was devised in 1936 which trapped air within the walls of the glass. This was known as Ariel, a name derived from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest". [Plath, Iona (June 1, 1966). "Decorative Arts of Sweden". Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-21478-8. p.107.] A major influence of theirs was the Art Nouveau work of the French artist Émile Gallé. [Chambers, Karen S (March 1, 1999). "Clearly Inspired: Contemporary Glass and Its Origins". Pomegranate. ISBN 0-7649-0932-0. pps. 40, 132.] Their designs use characteristic clean lines of brilliant crystal that suggests a frozen liquid. Their work was greatly admired when it was displayed to a wide audience at the Paris Exhibition of 1925.

The glass house came to be a leading producer during the interwar period. [Arwas, Victor (September 1, 1999). "The Art of Glass: Art Nouveau to Art Deco". Papadakis Publisher. ISBN 1-901092-00-3. p.105.] In more recent times the factory has also become noted for its chandelier-making. However some of the older designs are still produced today. ["Orrefors glass." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006.]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.orrefors.com/ Orrefors website]
* [http://www.orrefors.us/ Online retail site]
* [http://crystallia.com/orrefors.html Authorized US retailer]