Orrefors glassworks
Encyclopedia
Orrefors glassworks is a glassworks
in the Swedish
village Orrefors
in Småland
. Orrefors manufactures high-quality crystal glassware and art glass. The range consists of crystal stemware, barware, vases, bowls, candlesticks and sculptures. Orrefors also has a collection of lighting products in crystal.
Orrefors is a part of the swedish glassworks group Orrefors Kosta Boda|Orrefors Kosta Boda AB.
glass and practical objects such as jam jar
s. 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. They were later joined by other artists such as Vicke Lindstrand and Edvin Öhrstrom
. Each of these people had an individual artistic style, but together they 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 of a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. A major influence of theirs was the Art Nouveau
work of the French
artist Émile Gallé
. 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.
In addition to individual pieces of crystal, the company made crystal stemware. The glass house came to be a leading producer during the interwar period. In more recent times the factory has also become noted for its chandelier
-making. Many of the older designs are still produced today.
. The first collection was launched in spring 2011 under the name “Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld”.
Glassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
in the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
village Orrefors
Orrefors
Orrefors is a locality situated in Nybro Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 696 inhabitants in 2005. The internationally acclaimed Orrefors glassworks are situated here....
in Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
. Orrefors manufactures high-quality crystal glassware and art glass. The range consists of crystal stemware, barware, vases, bowls, candlesticks and sculptures. Orrefors also has a collection of lighting products in crystal.
Orrefors is a part of the swedish glassworks group Orrefors Kosta Boda|Orrefors Kosta Boda AB.
History
The Orrefors glass factory was founded in 1898 on a site where an iron factory had been operating since 1726. The glass factory originally made windowWindow
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
glass and practical objects such as jam jar
Jar
A jar is a rigid, approximately cylindrical container with a wide mouth or opening. Jars are typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic. They are used for foods, cosmetics, medications, and chemicals that are relatively thick or viscous...
s. 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. They were later joined by other artists such as Vicke Lindstrand and Edvin Öhrstrom
Edvin Öhrström
Karl Edvin Öhrström was a Swedish sculptor and glass artist.Öhrström grew up in Halmstad, where his father worked at the railroad...
. Each of these people had an individual artistic style, but together they created several unique features and innovations. One of these was Graal
Graal
Graal may refer to:* A style of glassblowing* Barel Graal, motor glider* Holy Grail, or "Graal" in older forms* Graal-Müritz, a seaside health resort...
glass, where colored relief decorations are encased in another layer of colorless and transparent crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
, 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 of a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. A major influence of theirs was the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
work of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist Émile Gallé
Émile Gallé
Émile Gallé was a French artist who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major forces in the French Art Nouveau movement.- Biography :...
. 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
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...
Exhibition of 1925.
In addition to individual pieces of crystal, the company made crystal stemware. The glass house came to be a leading producer during the interwar period. In more recent times the factory has also become noted for its chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
-making. Many of the older designs are still produced today.
Present
In November 2010, Orrefors announced a collaboration with fashion designer Karl LagerfeldKarl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
. The first collection was launched in spring 2011 under the name “Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld”.
Designers at Orrefors
- Knut Bergqvist 1914-1929
- Heinrich Wollman 1914-1923
- Gustav Abels 1915-1959
- Eva Jancke Björk 1915-1917
- Fritz Blomqvist 1915-1917
- Simon Gate 1916-1945
- Edward Hald 1917-1978
- Nils Landberg 1927-1972
- John Selbing 1927-1973
- Vicke Lindstrand 1928-1940
- Sven Palmqvist 1928-1971
- Flory Gate 1930
- Edvin ÖhrströmEdvin ÖhrströmKarl Edvin Öhrström was a Swedish sculptor and glass artist.Öhrström grew up in Halmstad, where his father worked at the railroad...
1936-1958 - Fritz Kurz 1940-1946
- Carl Fagerlund 1946-1980
- Ingeborg Lundin 1947-1971
- Gunnar Cyrén 1959-1970, 1976-
- Jan Johansson 1969-
- Börge Lindau 1970-tal
- Bo Lindekrantz 1970-tal
- Petr Mandl 1970-tal
- Styrbjörn Engström 1970
- Olle Alberius 1971-1973
- Henning Koppel 1971-1981
- Rolf Nilsson 1971-1972
- Lars Hellsten 1972-
- Eva Englund 1974-1990
- Wiktor Bernt 1975-1979
- Owe Elven 1975-1978
- Berit Johansson 1979-1983
- Arne Branzell 1980-1982
- Anette Krahner 1980-1981
- Erika Lagerbielke 1982-
- Anne Nilsson 1982-2005
- Klas-Göran Tinbäck 1982-1983
- Mats Borgström 1984-1990
- Helén Krantz 1988-2005
- Vivianne Karlsson 1989-1983
- Lena BergströmLena Bergström-Biography:After high school, Bergström started working as a decorator at Domus department store. She moved to Stockholm to study at various art & crafts schools, and eventually started at Konstfack, the University college of art, crafts and design in Stockholm. Bergström describes her sudies as...
1994- - Per B Sundberg 1994-
- Martti Rytkönen 1994-
- Per B Sundberg 1994-
- Ingegerd Råman 1999-
- Karl LagerfeldKarl LagerfeldKarl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
2010-