Strömbergshyttan Ice Blue Glass Vase, Engraved Rainbow Fish, Shiny Chiseled Scales, Handmade in Sweden

This charming vintage vase is made from heavy, ice-blue Swedish crystal. The engraving depicts a pair of fish swimming through some lake grasses. The artist engraved the scene using the engraving pen, and chipped away at the glass in the grasses and some fish parts to create an uneven texture that plays very well in the light. It is signed and numbered, Strömbergshyttan B891 C965 Sweden. It is 7" high, 5.25"wide, and 2.5" front-to-back, and it weighs almost 4 pounds - perfect for display in any sunny spot. It is in very good used condition, clear and sparkling, with a just few scratches to show its age.

The story of Strömbergshyttan begins in 1876, when a glassworks called Lindfors ("winding falls") opened about 50 km west of Orrefors. In 1933, Edward Strömberg, who was a former head at Orrefors, and his wife Gerda, who was a designer at Eda, leased the company and changed the name to Strömbergshyttan ("Strömberg's hut"). Edward and his son Eric devised a way to produce a glass that had a bluish-silver hue, which became characteristic for Strömbergshyttan. Eric Strömberg and his wife, Asta, bought the company in 1945, and they invested heavily to modernize it. The Strömberg family further upgraded the mill in 1960. For most of the 40+ years that the family controlled the glass mill, Gerda and Asta Strömberg designed the glass. A fire in 1973 left the glassworks in financial difficulties, and it was sold to Orrefors in 1976. Orrefors closed the Strömbergshyttan glassworks just three years later. (Adapted from Nils Bergqvist)