Blue Glass Series 5: Hadeland Blue Vases

                  

Hadeland Blue Vases

Hadeland Glassverk of Norway has a stunning line of cobalt blue vases designed by Willy Johansson (1921-1993) in the 1970´s. Johansson´s started working for Hadeland in 1936 as a third generation of glass makers. He started working as a designed in 1947 and worked there until 1988. Among the hundreds of pieces he created for Hadeland, there is this line of blue tall vases with clear glass bases. These were not produced only in blue, but the blue version of this line of vases is the most valued one. Maybe the most famous one is the bubble glass vase, the tall and thin vase with a bubble on the bottom. We have a pair of those in stock, the small ones with 20cm tall and 3cm diameter. Just as beautiful as the tall ones.

You can check our glass vases here 

Blue Glass Series 3: Magnor of Norway Glass Vase

Blue Glass Series 3: A Magnor of Norway Hooped Glass Vase

This lovely not so tall (16,5cm) cobalt blue hooped handmade glass vase is part of a series of hooped vases with many sizes and colors. The entire series is very pretty and is very appreciated in the Norwegian vintage market. Made by Magnor, a Norwegian glass giant, it is definitely worth more in the domestic market than in the international scene. This vase no longer has the original label, but I have seen vases exactly like this one, in many vintage stores and markets around Norway, all with the label "Handmade Magnor, Made in Norway". The pity is that I have never managed to find out the name of the designer who developed this series of hooped vases to Magnor since I have never been able to find any one of Magnor's old catalogs. Actually I am not even sure there were any catalogs with the names of the designer. Anyway, it is always pity not know the name of the designer...

This beauty is for sale here

By the way, we have in stock another vase like this one, except that it has four hoops instead of three. You can find the vase with four hoops  here

For the love of the soft and dark pewter

 

For the love of pewter

I love pieces made of pewter and I am never tired of admiring the delicate work of the Norwegian pewter manufacturers. There are so many beautiful works out there, extremely well made and, naturally, full of references and hiding meanings behind each of them. Pewter pieces were, are, everywhere. Every Norwegian home accumulated several types of pewter pieces, for diverse uses, both kitchen and table utensils, jewelry and general home decor items. As time changes things, slowly the power of pewter started to fade, industries closed, artistry lost and meanings forgotten. Not really. 

Sure, maybe not as many Norwegians admire pieces made in the soft dark grey metal the anymore, not the way they used too. But pewter is still appreciated for the unique way it was used as a vehicle for artists to express the truth of their time.

The "great houses of Norwegian pewter", the largest manufacturers, slowly disappeared but their pieces are everywhere to be found. The closing doors of the pewter factories are a sign of times, an old custom is about to change, the uses and abuses of pewter by Norwegian society may be over. 

I understand, some people are exhausted of pewter, they reflect a time of poverty and limited resources and I get that our society has shown signs of a pewter hang over, but I can´t stop myself from repeating it: we will see a pewter come back one of these days and, when it happens, let´s all hope the beautiful Norwegian pieces were not all melted away...  

I keep mine safe and sound.

Decorated Figgjo Flint Soup Tureen

Figgjo Flint Suppefat

This soup tureen was produced by Norwegian manufacturer Figgjo Flint some time in the years of 1960s and is simply one of the most adorable designs they have ever made. I call this a design "mother-in-law classic", because I used to see one at the home of my in-laws. It is folky, naive, romantic and patriotic at the same time.

It is decorated with images of a couple dressed up in traditional party clothes. Norwegians love their traditional dresses and are very proud of them and every little county in this country has a different design. One more beautiful than the other. And this lovely piece soup tureen shows a little bit of their pride and sense of place.

The most curious thing about this decor is that, this scene on the tureen could represent an image of the year 1920, as much as it could represents an image of Norway in the 2016. Norwegians make a huge effort to keep the traditional institutions running strong and since this small Scandinavian nation became an independent one, the can not stop themselves from being proud of who they are,  this is what ultimately make Norwegians, Norwegians. Those dresses and suits are part of the package, they will not abandon them, actually, they made them more fancy most design clothes, meaning, those dresses can cost a fortune, as much, or more than a famous design creation.

How lovely are the Norwegians?

This tureen is as lovely as all Figgjo Flint pieces and is in excellent vintage condition, but it has a downside, it has lost its lid. Yes. It is a lidless tureen which now can be used to serve other delicious things like popcorn, pomme frites (chips or crips), biscuits, cold soups like gaspazcho or serve as a planter or plant pot.

It is to be loved in whatever condition it is...

Stunning Pewter - Måstad, Norway

A trio of candleholders, design of John Gulbrandsrød for Måstad Pewter, Norway.

The beautiful details of the design of John Gulbrandsrød for Måstad Pewter, Norway.

The beautiful details of the design of John Gulbrandsrød for Måstad Pewter, Norway.

The beautiful details of the design of John Gulbrandsrød for Måstad Pewter, Norway.

Stunning Pewter

I love pewter, the dark soft grey metal that is more than ever out of fashion. I simply adore the old fashion designs and I think the work of old pewter manufactures are pieces of art. Naturally, some of them are better than others, but something in that dark mix of metals makes them all very beautiful.

For the last hundred years, Norwegians have been making some of the most amazing works of pewter out there, all sorts of items, for decor and for dining and serving food. I have my heart broken every time I go to markets or garage sales where I cross with someone hunting pewter items to melt. They wait for the last hour before closing time, when the "bag sale" starts, to jump over the metal tables, filled with brass, copper and pewter and simply grab everything on their way, throwing everything into plastic bags, without looking, without care. They don´t cate if the pieces get smashed, or scratched because they will melt the metal. They ignore completely all the art in those pieces, they are metal hunters, they are looking for cheap metal. Oh yeah, pewter items are cheap, because Norwegians seem to be totally fed up with traditional designs associated with pewter. For that reason garage sales and second hand markets are full of pewter pieces, sold for very cheap prices. So sad...

This week I have uploaded some pewter candleholders to the store and I have more pewter in stock to upload. The trio of candleholders on the picture above are from Norwegian manufacturer Måstad designed by John Gulbrandsrød for Måstad Pewter, Norway.

Lovely Rare Vintage Hand Made Norwegian Tea Caddy

We are lucky to have in the store this beautiful and rare wood tea caddy with handle and locks in brass. It is a hand  made item, made in Norway by the grandfather of my father in law, sometime during the last decade of the 19th century. 

The box bares the marks of its long life, it has some cracks and the key and key locker are missing. However, it remains strong, solid and the wood is in very good condition despite some cracks here and there. It is very beautiful item, a lovely gift for someone who admire antiques and uniqueness because this is one of a kind. 

Remember, every vintage item comes with a story and the marks its life have put on it. I just hope it find a loving new owner. The link to buy this amazing box is here . The first one will get the prize.

Below more pictures of this beautiful tea caddy...

More beautiful listings in the store...

This stunning bowl is now sold, but we still have its pictures left to love...

These listings have left the building

The store is quite new and gets new stuff everyday. Even so,  every time a beautiful piece is sold I fear I will miss its presence on my shelves. These are some of the beautiful listings which have left the building... To visit our lovely little Etsy store click here.