Vintage Kraka Vase by Sven Palmquist for Orrefors, Sweden 1955

Vintage Kraka Vase by Sven Palmquist for Orrefors, Sweden 1955

A large vase of the Kraka (fishnet) series designed by Sven Palmquist for Orrefors Sweden in 1954. Kraka refers to a Nordic legend in which a beautiful woman appeared dressed in a fisherman’s net. Clear crystal glass with a wire mesh decoration causing several small air bubbles cased with blue and amber glass and overerlayed with a clear glass layer. This example dates to the 1950s. Signed with: “Orrefors Kraka Nr. 322 Sven Palmquist”. One of the iconic designs of Scandinavian art glass in the 20th century.

Sven Palmqvist (1906-1984) was a Swedish artglass designer working for Orrefors from 1928 till 1971. Among his several designs the Kraka Series (1944), the Ravenna Series (1948) and the Fuga Series (1954) are the most succsessfuls. The Fuga series was awarded with a Grand Prix at the Milan Trienale in 1957.

Measures:
Height: 12.01″ (30.5 cm)
Diameter: 3.35″ (8.5 cm)

Literature Reference:
Helmut Ricke und Ulrich Gronert, Glas in Schweden 1915 – 1960, Muenchen 1986, page 169
Leslie Pina, Fifties Glass, Atgen 1993, page 115
George Fischler, Barret Gould, Scandinavian Ceramics and Glass, Atglen 2000, page 137