Aalto Vase
Encyclopedia
The Aalto Vase, also known as the Savoy Vase, is a world famous piece of glassware
and an iconic piece of Finnish design created by Alvar Aalto
and his wife Aino Marsio. It became known as the Savoy vase because it was one of a range of custom furnishings and fixtures created by Alvar Aalto and Aino for the luxury Savoy restaurant in Helsinki that opened in 1937.
The vase was also designed as an entry in a design competition for the Ahlström
owned Karhula-Iittala glassworks factory in 1936. The design was inspired by the dress of a Sami
woman. Called Eskimåkvinnans skinnbyxa (the Eskimo
woman's leather breech), the design consisted of a series of crayon drawings on cardboard and scratch paper. Aalto created initial prototypes by blowing glass in the middle of a composition of wooden sticks stuck into the ground, letting the molten glass swell on only some sides and creating a wavy outline. The initial manufacture of the vase was not without problems and the original idea of using molds made of thin steel sheets forced together to form closed sinuous shapes had to be abandoned. The vase was originally manufactured by the glassworks factory using a wood mold which was slowly burned away.
This vase was later displayed for the 1937 World's Fair
in Paris
and the original height of the Savoy vase was 140 mm.
Aalto never made money with the vase, because the design belonged to the factory for which the design competition entry was produced.
The vase has been manufactured in nearly a full spectrum of colours. The simplicity of the vase continues to be popular in the 21st century. Smaller versions of the vase, just as Aalto designed them with the seams visible and a slight curve at the base, are still produced by glasspressing at the Iittala
glass factory in Iittala, Finland. Larger versions are made using Aalto's design, but without seams.
In recent times the vase has achieved iconic status, inspiring adaptations by contemporary designers including Jan Ctvrtnik, Maxim Velcovsky and Tobias Wong. The latter did not so much adapt the work, but appropriate the form and turn it into a doorstop by filling it with concrete and breaking the glass.
Glassware
This list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
and an iconic piece of Finnish design created by Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
and his wife Aino Marsio. It became known as the Savoy vase because it was one of a range of custom furnishings and fixtures created by Alvar Aalto and Aino for the luxury Savoy restaurant in Helsinki that opened in 1937.
The vase was also designed as an entry in a design competition for the Ahlström
Ahlstrom
Ahlstrom is a Finnish wood processing firm and a global manufacturer of specialty papers and nonwoven materials, using natural and synthetic fibers to produce roll goods for customers who turn them into hundreds of products. Ahlstrom's shares have been traded on the main list of the Helsinki Stock...
owned Karhula-Iittala glassworks factory in 1936. The design was inspired by the dress of a Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
woman. Called Eskimåkvinnans skinnbyxa (the Eskimo
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
woman's leather breech), the design consisted of a series of crayon drawings on cardboard and scratch paper. Aalto created initial prototypes by blowing glass in the middle of a composition of wooden sticks stuck into the ground, letting the molten glass swell on only some sides and creating a wavy outline. The initial manufacture of the vase was not without problems and the original idea of using molds made of thin steel sheets forced together to form closed sinuous shapes had to be abandoned. The vase was originally manufactured by the glassworks factory using a wood mold which was slowly burned away.
This vase was later displayed for the 1937 World's Fair
Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)
The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne was held from May 25 to November 25, 1937 in Paris, France...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the original height of the Savoy vase was 140 mm.
Aalto never made money with the vase, because the design belonged to the factory for which the design competition entry was produced.
The vase has been manufactured in nearly a full spectrum of colours. The simplicity of the vase continues to be popular in the 21st century. Smaller versions of the vase, just as Aalto designed them with the seams visible and a slight curve at the base, are still produced by glasspressing at the Iittala
Iittala
Iittala is a Finnish design company specialising in houseware objects made on the principle of "modern Scandinavian design". [N.B. The official logo of the Company is all in lower case - iittala. Using upper case for the initial i can cause some confusion as it may be mistaken for an L.] The Iittala...
glass factory in Iittala, Finland. Larger versions are made using Aalto's design, but without seams.
In recent times the vase has achieved iconic status, inspiring adaptations by contemporary designers including Jan Ctvrtnik, Maxim Velcovsky and Tobias Wong. The latter did not so much adapt the work, but appropriate the form and turn it into a doorstop by filling it with concrete and breaking the glass.