Timo Sarpaneva, an art-object 'Kohinoor' signed Timo Sarpaneva, Iittala.
Moulded cut and polished glass. Height 10 cm. Width 21.5 cm.
Minor wear. The general impression is good.
The object was part of Master Glassmaker Reino Löflund's collection before passing to the current owner.
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.
Timo was commissioned in 1981 to design the Colin King Grand Prix award to be presented to Raymond Loewy, the most influential designer at the time. Timo chose clear glass as the material for the prize and named his work 'Gateway to Dreams'. The glass sculpture's design expression was ethereal and strikingly architectural.
Inspired by the skillful work of Iittala's glass blowers and cutters, the artist developed the Kohinoor collection of hand-cast and hand-finished artistic sculptures. The tool used to create the air bubbles in the glass was called the 'hedgehog'. It was a simple block of wood with nails that were pushed into a mould where half of the glass mass was cast. The nails sank into the molten glass, creating small cavities that would be left with air when the next glass casting was poured into the mould. Finally, the inner part of the finished moulded glass was shaped using a special graphite tool. After cooling, the finished objects were sanded and polished. The Kohinoor sculptures were part of Iittala's Pro Arte series.
Marjatta Sarpaneva