Orrefors Palmqvist, 1940s Crystal Rectangular Vase Engraved with 3 Girls Singing and Violin Playing

This charming piece was designed by Sven Palmqvist, and the engraving portrays one of his favorite subjects, children. The sweet trio of girls is making music - with two singing and one playing a violin. You will delight in adding this beautiful piece of art to your home, and I think it could also be a great letter holder!

The signature on the base includes the style number 2918, designed in 1944, and the production date code B2, which is 1945. The final marks indicate it was engraved by Hjerton Rydh. It has a few very small scratches - a testament to a life well-lived. It is a big piece - it weighs just over 7.5 pounds and it is 4.25" wide, 8.75" long, and 7.75" high.

The Orrefors story began in 1726, when an ironworks and smith was built near “the beautiful river that flows into Lake Orranäs” in the Swedish countryside. It was given the name Orrefors, which means “the Orre waterfall.” ("Orre" is the Swedish name for the black grouse, which is the bird seen on their iconic labels.) The foundry was converted to a glassworks in 1898, as the demand for iron decreased. By the mid-1920s, Orrefors was celebrated for the quality and beauty of its glass.

Orrefors employed master artists and craftsmen, some of whom worked their whole careers of 40, 50, or more years with the company. Sven Palmqvist (1906-1984) was born in the glass district of southern Sweden and started his career with Orrefors in 1928, where he remained until 1972. In those years, he designed hundreds of engraved glass motifs.