Bertil Vallien
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a unique "Precious Cargo" sand-cast glass sculpture of a boat, Kosta Boda, Sweden, 1987.
Sand-cast bow and stern, blown central section in clear glass with air spiral and orange serpentine, signed 305870075 KOSTA BODA B. Vallien. Length 62 cm, on a blackened iron stand with spikes, height 17 cm, width 20.5 cm.
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Bertil Vallien certifies in a letter: "It's delightful to see this old creation from 1987 again. A very special sculpture where I combined casting with a shape that is made on the glassblower's pipe. It was difficult, and I probably won't do it again. The title I remember is 'Precious Cargo'. The title refers to the clear, pure central form that I see as a cocoon, an egg, an embryo. In stark contrast to the boat's rough, rustic surfaces."
A few years later, Bertil Vallien recounts: "Fun to see again, I was a bit wilder back then, the sand mould was made directly in the sand. With my hands, without any templates."
Designer
Bertil Vallien (b. 1938) is a Swedish glass designer and ceramicist. He pursued his studies at Konstfack in Stockholm as well as on study trips to Denmark and the USA. In the 1960s, Vallien worked at Boda glassworks as an assistant to Erik Höglund, and was later linked to Åfors glassworks. Vallien works primarily in glass and has developed a distinctive style of sandcast glass sculptures, often depicting boats and heads. His sculptures have a kind of inner glow that lingers in the memory. Vallien is represented around the world and has been awarded the prize "Visionaries! Award" in 2001. Bertil was married to the artist Ulrica Hydman-Vallien.
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