Timo Sarpaneva
Timo Sarpaneva, a 1967 wood mould for 'Elisabeth' vase for Iittala Glass works.
Height 55 cm. Dimensions about 40x 36 cm.
Wear due to age and use. Damages. Rust.
Provenance
The collection of the Master Glassmaker Reino 'Reka' Löflund.
Reino 'Reka' Löflund was born in 1926 and at the age of 14 he started as an apprentice at the Iittala glassworks. He blew medicine bottles for the war industry as the youngest blower ever. After the war, he was employed as the master blower at the Iittala glassworks.
Later, Löflund was appointed as Master Glassmaker in charge of the entire production at the Iittala glassworks.
In the 1950s he began working with various glass designers, including Timo Sarpaneva. Reka Löflund developed several techniques and products with Timo Sarpaneva, including the Claritas, Arkipelago and Finlandia series.
More information
"Do you know what that is?" Reino Löflund, the master glass maker, pointed to a ribbon-like wooden relief on the garage wall. I took a closer look - and was surprised! "I think I know, this is the wooden mould that was used to make a vase for Queen Elizabeth II."
Timo Sarpaneva was the first person in the world to be awarded an honorary doctorate in industrial design in London in 1967. As a gift, he brought with him a glass vase that he had designed in a wooden mould. The mould that still exists decades later!
Sarpaneva valued the craftsmanship of mould makers. "The moulds are works of art, as much as the glass products created by their glow".
Timo Sarpaneva assembled the 'Great Iconostasis' at the Iittala Museum. The large wooden relief of the silky, charred wooden moulds was a tribute to the mould makers.
Purchasing info
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